Pirate Joe’s closes in Vancouver rather than fight U.S. grocer Trader Joe’s
VANCOUVER — The British Columbia grocery store operator who once said he was doing “nothing but good” for the American chain store Trader Joe’s, has given up his fight to bring the U.S. retailer’s products to Canada.
Michael Hallatt has permanently closed his Vancouver outlet of Pirate Joe’s, rather than face another trademark lawsuit from California-based Trader Joe’s later this year.
Hallatt has been battling Trader Joe’s since 2013, when he was sued in a U.S. court but won the copyright infringement case.
In the years following the lawsuit, Hallatt dropped the “P” from his store’s banner, becoming Irate Joe’s, as Trader Joe’s continued its legal efforts to shut him down.