Overview
- Perdue filed a federal lawsuit on June 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia alleging trademark infringement, trade dress violations, false designation of origin and unfair competition by John Soules Foods.
- Perdue says it developed and trademarked the 6‑7 product before launch, introduced shaped 6 and 7 nuggets in April and had the line in Walmart by early May, and it points to specific packaging elements such as breaded numeral shapes and cartoon hands as protected branding.
- Soules announced its own 6‑7 nuggets on June 7, said they would arrive at Kroger and Aldi in July, and has partnered with viral teen Maverick Trevillian to market the product.
- Perdue says it sent a cease‑and‑desist on June 9 and that Soules refused on June 17, and the complaint alleges consumer confusion and a lost retail placement after a major grocer chose to stock Soules’ item instead of Perdue’s.
- The dispute is complicated by a separate registered '6 7' mark owned by Sixes & Sevens, LLC from 2023, and the case is pending while Soules has publicly retained counsel to defend its product and marketing choices.