Pacific Market International (PMI) appears to be up for a court fight.

The Seattle-based parent company of the Stanley drinkware brand said it plans to “vigorously defend” against a federal trademark lawsuit filed against it by Stanley Black & Decker, a 182-year-old Connecticut-based manufacturer of the Stanley line of tools.

The toolmaker alleges that PMI has chronically and intentionally violated agreements between the companies that establish how the shared Stanley name can be used. The suit says PMI is guilty of trademark infringement, breach of contract and unfair competition violations.

But PMI says that’s malarkey.

“We own the ‘Stanley’ brand in the food and beverage container category,” said Matt Navarro, global president of PMI WW Brands, LLC. “Stanley Black & Decker’s complaint takes aim at our century-old Stanley brand, apparently seeking to capitalize on our success and undermine over a century of innovation and hard work developing our food and beverage containment products.”

In a statement, PMI said the Stanley drinkware brand dates to 1913. That’s when, the firm said, William Stanley Jr. developed the vacuum flask.

“Since that time, PMI’s Stanley brand has been associated with that rich history of innovation in the area of food and beverage containers,” the statement said. “Today, PMI possesses long-standing rights in its Stanley brand, which it proudly displays on its food and beverage containers, along with its iconic winged bear logo and founding year – 1913.”

PMI asserted that Stanley Black & Decker has no trademark/intellectual property rights over what it says are PMI’s federally registered trademarks for its food and beverage containers. The toolmaker’s lawsuit “appears aimed at exploiting PMI’s Stanley brand affinity and fan base, which has been carefully cultivated and nurtured over the past 100+ years.”

Among other things, Stanley Black & Decker’s lawsuit asks that PMI be prohibited from using “Stanley” in connection with products that are not food and beverage containers or carrying cases for transporting those containers.

Stanley Black & Decker also wants damages awarded, product recalls, corrective advertising campaigns, public disclaimers, and the forfeiture and/or destruction of products/articles that continue to be in violation. The suit also wants a judge to order PMI to include some kind of “PMI” or “Pacific Market International” marking on its Stanley drinkware products.

While perhaps past its viral peak, PMI’s Stanley drinkware has proved wildly popular at retail and in the promotional products industry over the last couple of years – so much so that ASI Media named PMI’s Stanley Quencher the 2023 Product of the Year for the promo industry. PMI is involved in a number of other court battles.