Global food giant Nestlé is trying to force a small coffee company, Seattle Strong, to change its name, claiming it infringes on the Seattle's Best brand Nestlé acquired in 2022.

Why it matters: The fight raises a bigger question: can only one coffee company claim trademark rights in the word "Seattle" — or can the Emerald City's cool, caffeinated cachet be shared?

What's happening: Nestlé recently filed a petition asking the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the trademark it issued two years ago to Seattle Strong, a cold brew company formed in Seattle in 2017.

• The trademark office's appeal board set a timeline for the case this week, with a trial expected next year.

What they're saying: Nestlé, which is based in Switzerland, argues that Seattle Strong's name is so similar to Seattle's Best that coffee buyers may confuse the two brands.

• The similarity is also "likely to dilute the distinctiveness of Nestlé's Seattle's Best mark" and could damage the company, Nestlé writes.

Seattle Strong, which started as a college project at the University of Washington, argues that confusion is unlikely, given that Seattle Strong exclusively focuses on cold brew. The Seattle's Best brand sells a variety of coffee products, including whole-bean coffee and Keurig pods.

• Seattle Strong also says it "would suffer undue prejudice" by having to change its branding now, after building a business around its trademark for the past few years.

The other side: "They seem to think they own the name Seattle," Seattle Strong founder Evan Oeflein said in a video posted this week.

• "It just doesn't seem right to us," Oeflein said, noting that the company's headquarters and operations remain in Seattle.
• Nestlé didn't immediately reply to Axios' request for comment Thursday.

What we're watching: Seattle Strong has launched a GoFundMe to help cover legal expenses.

Share this story

Seattle's Pride Month culminates this weekend in a downtown parade and major festivals in Capitol Hill and at Seattle Center.

The big picture: Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take part in the events celebrating Seattle's LGBTQ+ community.

Zoom in: Capitol Hill's PrideFest runs from noon-8pm Saturday, featuring four stages and more than 100 artists spread over Cal Anderson Park and about five blocks of Broadway.

• Then, the Seattle Pride Parade will march through downtown from 11am-3:30pm Sunday. The route starts at Fourth Avenue and Union Street and goes to Second Avenue and Denny Way.
• The party continues at Seattle Center's iteration of PrideFest, which lasts from noon to 8pm Sunday.

You can also check out Trans Pride Seattle on Friday; stop by the three day Queer/Pride Festival from Friday to Sunday; or visit the Indigiqueer Festival Friday at Pier 62.

Pass it on

🤖 Seattle is launching an AI-powered push to speed up permits for housing and small businesses — part of Mayor Bruce Harrell's broader effort to cut red tape and ease the city's housing crunch. (Seattle Medium)

🦠 The Madison Park, Madrona Park, Mount Baker and Matthews beaches are closed after tests detected high levels of bacteria in the water. (MyNorthwest.com)

🏀 A statue honoring legendary Seattle Sonics player and coach Lenny Wilkens will be unveiled tomorrow outside Climate Pledge Arena.

• It's by sculptor Lou Cella, who is known for creating monuments of Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, and Don James. (Seattle Times)

Protesters are asking Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson to intervene in the case of Tuan Phan, a Vietnamese migrant who was deported to Djibouti in East Africa — where Phan has no connection — after serving more than 20 years in a Washington state prison.

• Supporters of Phan, who was convicted of first-degree murder, say a gubernatorial pardon could help bring him home. (KING 5)

Washington is bucking the national trend in weight-loss drug prescriptions, with only a slightly higher percentage of women than men taking GLP-1s like Ozempic and Mounjaro, new data shows.

Why it matters: Unlike the rest of the country, where women — especially those approaching menopause — dominate demand for weight-loss prescriptions, men and women in Washington appear to be equally willing to seek pharmaceutical help.

By the numbers: In Washington, 2.5% of female patients are prescribed GLP-1 drugs, compared to 2.2% of male patients, according to 2024 data from FAIR Health.

• Nationally, 18.6% of women prescribed GLP-1 drugs received them for weight loss (and not diabetes), double the rate of men, according to FAIR Health.
• Women between 40 and 64 have been the top recipients of GLP-1 prescriptions nationally since 2019.

Go deeper

Seattle's amateur radio buffs are practicing going off-grid this weekend for a disaster prep field day — and you're invited to join.

Why it matters: During earthquakes, power outages, and other disasters, ham radio is often the last, and most reliable, form of communication when power and cell service goes down, Tim Helming, director of Seattle Auxiliary Communications Service, told Axios in an email.

• It lets people use their own equipment to talk across town, the world and even into space, according to Ham Radio Prep.

What's happening: The annual Amateur Radio Field Day at South Seattle College on Saturday and Sunday will simulate disaster conditions by relying solely on battery, solar and radio power — no internet, no cell towers, no local grid.

• The campus's north field will become a hub for emergency-ready tech and topics, from solar-powered antennas to Morse code signals.
• Visitors can try long-distance radio, brush up on first aid and get DIY disaster tips, all for free.

Tell a friend