Tony Chachere’s charges a former licensee with identity theft

Tony Chachere’s Creole Foods is suing a former licensee of some of its prepared and packaged foods for trademark infringement. The Opelousas-based company says that shortly after it ended a licensing deal with Big Easy Foods of Louisiana, formerly French Market Foods, the Lake Charles-based company began selling its own products that “closely [duplicate] the Tony Chachere’s brand, wording and packaging.” The suit, filed in U.S. District Court Friday, accuses Big Easy Foods of violating a host of provisions in state and federal law regarding trademarks, as well as breach of contract. “Our well-known and distinctive packaging is our brand. People all over the country recognize and trust our products because of that brand,” says Tony Chachere’s President/CEO Don Chachere in a prepared statement. Billboards advertising Big Easy Foods products have popped up around Baton Rouge in recent weeks, and its products can also be found in many local grocery stores. If you’d like to compare the package designs for yourself, take a look at the Big Easy Foods website here and the Tony Chachere’s site here.