On May 14, 2015, Aldi Inc., the grocery store chain, sued Aldis Furniture Inc. for contempt of a 2002 consent decree. See Aldi Inc. v. Aldsi Furniture Inc., et al., 2:15-cv-2696 (N.D. Ill.). The parties tussled before and the obvious and inevitable trademark infringement action brought by the grocer against the retailer resulted in a 2002 agreement. The retailer, however, apparently thought 13 years was long enough and
The whole affair falls into the "duh" category by the defendant. However, it underscores a trend in furniture retailing. Furniture is being sold everywhere--including grocery stores. Next time you are at your neighborhood large chain grocery store look around. I bet you will find at least some outdoor furniture for sale. In the meantime, let's hope that the Aldi's Furniture folks are wise enough to quickly change their name (again).
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