Court in Brazil's Minas Gerais slaps down Nestle copyright lawsuit

SAO PAULO, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A court in Brazil's Minas Gerais state has granted a preliminary injunction in favor of Brazilian company Coffee++, ordering international ​giant Nestle to stop using the Coffee+ brand, according to a court ‌document seen by Reuters.

Judge Claudia Helena Batista granted Coffee++'s request for a provisional injunction on Wednesday, citing potential ‌harm to the Brazilian company due to consumer "confusion" between the brands.

Nestle may face unspecified fines if it fails to comply with the ruling and remove all items bearing the Coffee+ logo from physical and online points of sale, according to the ruling.

"The defendant's (Nestle's) use of an ⁠identical mark belonging to the ‌plaintiff could cause harm to the applicant, given that it may generate confusion among the general consuming public," Batista said.

The ruling is provisional ‍but Coffee++ has vowed it will not back down from the dispute.

"We will fight to the end to defend what we have built with legitimacy, hard work and love for Brazil's coffee. ​What is at stake is not only Coffee++. We are defending the sovereignty of ‌Brazilian brands," said Coffee++ CEO and partner Leonardo Montesanto.

Coffee++ has been the legitimate holder of the trademark since 2020 "for products in the coffee segment," it said.

Coffee++ is preparing for international expansion and will participate in trade fairs in Dubai and Paris in 2026, but faces "an attempt at elimination by one of the largest corporations in the world," it said.

Nestle ⁠did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Coffee++ ​has already registered its trademark in more than 30 ​countries, including the European Union, Japan and Argentina, and is registering the brand elsewhere, it added.

The Brazilian company initially tried to resolve the matter ‍out of court ⁠but to no avail, it said. Instead of a resolution, Nestle filed a lawsuit on September 24 seeking to invalidate the Coffee++ trademark in Brazil, the company ⁠said.

"We will continue to act with full transparency and determination, taking all necessary legal measures to protect ‌what is rightfully ours," Montesanto said.

(Reporting by Roberto Samora in Sao Paulo; Writing ‌by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Matthew Lewis)