On August 21, Crypton LLC, a company specialising in performance fabrics, initiated legal action against Williams Sonoma in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The lawsuit alleges that Williams Sonoma has improperly used Crypton's trademarks on Pottery Barn furniture for the past two years.
Photo: Dreamstime.
Crypton claims that despite no longer using its proprietary treatment on Pottery Barn's fabrics—following a 2022 update to remove PFAS chemicals—Williams Sonoma continued to advertise and sell these products as Crypton-treated. The original agreement from 2015 involved Crypton providing treated fabrics to Valdese Weavers, which then supplied Pottery Barn with Crypton-branded materials. However, after Crypton changed its treatment process, Williams Sonoma allegedly instructed Valdese to use a lower-quality third-party treatment but kept using Crypton's trademarks in marketing.
The lawsuit contends that this continued use of Crypton's branding has misled consumers into believing the products are still treated by Crypton, leading to confusion and a misrepresentation of endorsement. Crypton asserts that this constitutes trademark infringement and unfair competition under the Lanham Act and Michigan law.
Crypton also stated that, despite sending a certified letter to Williams Sonoma on July 18 seeking a resolution, there had been no response by the time of the lawsuit's filing. Williams Sonoma has yet to comment on the matter.
Source: www.homenewsnow.com