Crumbl releases new info on Utah cookie wars
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) — More information regarding the Utah Cookie Wars surfaced on Tuesday after Crumbl Cookies representatives said they received the go-ahead from their lawyer to share more of the story.
Crumbl initially filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against two of its competitors, Dirty Dough and Crave Cookies on May 10, claiming that the two franchises copied numerous elements of Crumbl’s branding, including presentation and weekly flavor rotation.
On Aug. 30, Crumbl announced further information regarding the lawsuit filed, adding that Dirty Dough “has stolen trade secrets from Crumbl’s internal database,” and that “an ex-employee has turned over at least 643.7 MB of information that Dirty Dough had in their possession.”
According to Crumbl representatives, this information includes:
- 66 Crumbl recipes
- Building schematics
- Processes
- Store-level statistics
- Cookie calendar
- Training videos
- Other branded information
Crumbl Cookies Founder and CEO Jason McGowan released a statement on the newly released information on Tuesday, which reads in part:
“We have confirmed through voicemails and other proof that Dirty Dough planned to leverage these materials to develop their copycat concept.
Dirty Dough wants the public to believe this lawsuit is about stifling competition; this is really about Dirty Dough conducting business in an unethical manner.”
Dirty Dough clapped back quickly, denying the stolen documents altogether. A statement from Dirty Dough released Tuesday regarding Crumbl’s newly made accusations reads as follows:
“With recent comments on social media about the lawsuit, Crumbl is now doing exactly what it criticized Dirty Dough of doing — using social media to shed light on the Utah Cookie Wars.
The original lawsuit focused on sprinkles, swirls, whimsical designs and box shapes. Now, Crumbl created a stir about allegedly stolen documents provided by a former employee of Dirty Dough.
Dirty Dough categorically denies stealing any documents from Crumbl. Dirty Dough’s recipes, building schematics and processes are not similar and are clearly different to the public eye.
Dirty Dough is aggressively fighting the lawsuit on multiple fronts. The case is trending in a positive trajectory and Dirty Dough expects this trend to continue. In light of this inflammatory statement, Dirty Dough will continue to stay positive and lighthearted, especially on social media.”