Trader Joe’s in legal tiff with NYC wine shop over the name ‘Joe’

They’re wining about Joe!

A New York City liquor store that recently opened just blocks away from the now-shuttered Trader Joe’s Wine Shop is cashing in on the intellectual property of the grocery chain and confusing customers, the retail behemoth claimed in a new lawsuit.

Trader Joe’s blasted Joe’s Wine Co. for not only sharing a similar name but copying the aesthetic of the beloved former wine store in Union Square, which closed two years ago after workers tried to unionize, according to court papers.

Despite other city-based businesses using the name “Joe,” including Joe’s Pizza, the grocer is demanding the family-owned business change its name and pay damages, alleging its trademark is synonymous with “high-quality, affordable groceries and alcohol,” according to the suit, filed on Nov. 20 in New York federal court. 

The name of Joe’s Wine Co., which opened over the summer at at 113 3rd Ave., pays homage to the owners’ family heritage of winemaking that dates back to 12th-century Spain, the company said in a statement to the Gothamist.

The name “Joseph” is also a family name that has been passed down from generation to generation, the company contended.

“It’s hard enough to open a small business in New York City these days without the constant intimidation and threat of litigation we are receiving from Trader Joe’s,” a spokesperson for Joe’s Wine Co. told the outlet.

“We are the hard working people here, real New Yorkers, trying to do something to honor our winemaking heritage and benefit this community by offering affordable and quality wine and spirits.”

Joe’s Wine Co. did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.

The lawsuit also accused the small business of stealing the Trader Joe’s color scheme and wood paneling, circular red logo and other promotional banners that offered similar deals to the grocer, including a sign that read “100 WINES UNDER $12.”

The liquor store is “actively courting consumer confusion,” the suit claims, with attorneys for Trader Joe’s insisting the company opted to change its name after purchasing “assets” of Taste Wine Co., another city-based liquor business that closed in 2020.

The company spokesperson struck back stating the family-owned business only bought the licensing to Taste Wine.

“It just doesn’t make sense that we among hundreds would be picked out as being a little confusing when there are so many pre-existing uses of Joe,” attorney Alfred Zaher, who is representing Joe’s Wine Co., said, according to the outlet.

“The only similarities between our mark and theirs is the word Joe, theirs is Trader Joe’s — Trader is the dominant portion. No one knows them as Joe.”

He added that the alleged color scheme and circular logo used prior to opening have since been replaced with a wooded brown sign with the circle omitted.

Trader Joe’s currently operates 10 stores in Manhattan, including one located three blocks away from Joe’s Wine Co. on 14th Street.