As you may recall, for the past few years a man in British Columbia has been traveling to the U.S., buying lots of stuff from Trader Joe’s (which doesn’t operate in Canada), and then taking it back and reselling it at home in Vancouver for a profit. For a reason I’ve never quite understood, Trader Joe’s is really upset by this. See “Why Is Trader Joe’s Suing Its Best Customer?” (Aug. 21, 2013).
A federal district court in Seattle held a few months later that, in fact, Trader Joe’s hadn’t explained how “Pirate Joe’s” competition was harming it here in the United States, which is a required element of the Lanham Act claim it brought. Pirate Joe (a.k.a. Mike Hallatt) was spending a lot of money at Trader Joe’s—which is presumably something it wants people to do—and then reselling the products in Canada, where Trader Joe’s doesn’t operate. What’s the problem, exactly?
More:
http://loweringthebar.net/2017/06/trader-joes-pays-canadian-pirate.htmlI'll admit that this site, Lowering the Bar, has become one of my daily must reads. He's got a way with words. ^-^
