Students spending time around Third Avenue and Union Square are likely familiar with the two Trader Joe’s locations that sandwich NYU’s Palladium residence hall, perhaps even the similarly titled Joe’s Wine Co. just around the corner. However, the local wine store has since rebranded some, painting over the word “Joe’s” on the front of the shop after reaching a confidential settlement with the national grocery franchise last month.

Trader Joe’s sued Joe’s Wine Co. in November for copyright infringement, requesting the wine store change its name and compensate for damages. The wine store was accused of blatantly violating Trader Joe’s intellectual property rights, residing just a one-minute walk away from the grocery store. It claimed that Joe’s Wine Co. aims to be a “knock-off” of the Trader Joe’s Wine Shop, which was located right next to Palladium from 2007 to 2022, where Trader Joe’s Pronto currently stands. 

The grocery chain alleged that Joe’s Wine Co. is “actively courting consumer confusion” by mimicking its branding elements, such as the wine shop’s circular logo, color arrangement and use of wood paneling in its interior design. Joe’s Wine Co. also originally used a circular red logo, but switched to yellow text while trying to settle the dispute outside of court. Following a confidential settlement last month, the store altered its signage and changed its profile picture on social media.

In a statement to Gothamist, Joe’s Wine Co. claimed the name Joe, short for Joseph, is a family name and honored the family’s history of winemaking and traces back to Spain in the 12th century. 

“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,” Joseph Strich, a spokesperson for Joe’s Wine Co., said in a statement to Gothamist, which was published in December. “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.”

The suit detailed that the wine shop’s owners bought the assets of Taste Wine Co., which had a storefront near Astor Place until 2020. When the owners reopened the business at its current Union Square location in 2024, they decided to change the name to Joe’s Wine Co. 

Joe’s Wine Co.’s attorney, Alfred Zaher, told Gothamist that Trader Joe’s accusation of copying its trademark was false, asserting that the logo’s design and color were only part of the wine shop’s temporary promotional efforts. Zaher said that Joe’s Wine Co.’s permanent signage is distinctly brown and does not feature a circular design. 

Zaher also said that the name “Joe” does not support trademark violation claims, pointing out that hundreds of businesses across the city also use similar names without issue — including the Joe’s Pizza neighboring the grocery store. 

“No one knows them as Joe,” Zaher said. “We know them as Trader Joe’s.”

Contact Audrey Abrahams at [email protected].