NEW YORK, July 29 (Reuters) - The maker of Dannon yogurt

sued rival Chobani on Tuesday for allegedly copying its "Bright

& Mellow" slogan and yellow-and-black packaging for a competing

line of ready-to-drink cold brew coffee.

Danone said Chobani engaged in "knowing,

calculated, and systematic" trademark infringement by using

packaging for La Colombe-branded coffee that was "strikingly

similar" to packaging for its own SToK coffee.

The lawsuit is at least the third between Danone and Chobani

in the last decade.

In its complaint in Manhattan federal court, Danone said it

began using "Bright & Mellow" in January 2021 to distinguish

itself from Starbucks ( SBUX ) and then-independent La Colombe,

which emphasized roast levels and coffee bean origins.

It said that after buying La Colombe for $900 million in

December 2023, Chobani substituted "Bright & Mellow" for that

brand's "Bright & Flavorful" on coffee packaging, and now calls

the product "light roast" instead of "medium roast."

Danone said this inevitably causes consumer confusion,

especially among hurried shoppers scanning shelves in their

local Kroger ( KR ), Target ( TGT ) or Walmart ( WMT ).

The changes will "cause severe and irreparable harm to

Danone and the goodwill it has built up in the Bright & Mellow

mark over the past four and a half years," Danone said.

Chobani did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Danone is based in Paris. Its U.S. unit is based in White

Plains, New York, while Chobani is based in upstate Norwich, New

York.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop Chobani from selling

products that could cause confusion, plus lost profits and

triple damages.

The case is Danone US LLC et al v Chobani LLC, U.S. District

Court, Southern District of New York, No. 25-06217.