What the Jueke Coffee artwork dispute is about

An illustrator publicly accused Jueke Coffee, a new Chinese-style brand founded in Chengdu in 2021, of using three of their illustrations without permission: Watermelon and Lotus, Watermelon Boat, and Watermelon Kite. The works appeared in a 2021 book. Jueke Coffee says its packaging design is original, denies infringement, and has refused to apologize or pay compensation.

The illustrator says they plan to file a lawsuit, and the two sides remain divided. Jueke Coffee, often grouped with value-focused street coffee brands because of its 5 to 20 yuan pricing, has grown to more than 230 stores across 13 provinces. The dispute centers on packaging tied to a watermelon drink launched on July 31.

Recently, an illustrator publicly accused the new Chinese-style coffee brand Jueke Coffee of unauthorized use of their artwork, involving three illustrations including "Watermelon and Lotus," and plans to file a lawsuit. Jueke Coffee responded that the packaging design is original, there is no infringement, and refused to apologize or compensate. Both sides insist on their own versions of the story, and the incident has sparked widespread attention. This article sorts out the course of events, the positions of both sides, and netizens' reactions, and includes related recommendations from Front Street Coffee.

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Jueke Coffee, known as the "Sichuan-Chongqing version of Lucky Cup," has fallen into a plagiarism controversy. What exactly happened?

On November 13, an illustrator posted on Weibo, pointing out that products sold by Jueke Coffee in the summer of 2023 as well as numerous promotional advertisements circulating online involved unauthorized use of their artwork. The illustrator also released a detailed rights-protection statement explaining the background of the incident and attached screenshots of relevant evidence.

According to official website information, Jueke Coffee is a new Chinese-style coffee brand founded in Chengdu, Sichuan in 2021. Within two years, it has covered 13 provinces, with more than 230 stores. Because its coffee is priced between 5 and 20 yuan, its price, positioning, and target customer group are similar to those of Lucky Cup, it is often called the "Lucky Cup of Sichuan and Chongqing."

On July 31, Jueke Coffee launched a drink made with watermelon as an ingredient, simultaneously introducing watermelon-patterned packaging and producing fans to give to consumers. But afterward, some fans noticed that, despite there being no co-branding collaboration, Jueke Coffee's new packaging style was remarkably similar to that of the illustrator they followed.

After being informed by helpful netizens, the illustrator quickly compared the two sets of artworks. He then pointed out that the plagiarized works included three pieces in total: "Watermelon and Lotus," "Watermelon Boat," and "Watermelon Kite," all of which were included in a book he published and released in 2021, so the evidence can be said to be sufficient.

At present, products with the above-mentioned watermelon-patterned packaging can no longer be found on Jueke Coffee's official accounts on various platforms, but related pictures and videos posted by other netizens are still spreading. It is said that since mid-August, the illustrator and their attorney have communicated with Jueke Coffee multiple times over this matter. The merchant stopped using the relevant packaging immediately and also removed the relevant pictures and videos from official accounts, but has consistently refused to acknowledge infringement and has refused to apologize or compensate.

According to a Cover News report, on the morning of November 14, Jueke Coffee responded to the matter, saying that the work on the packaging was original, that the company has 4 designers, and that the entire creative process and procedures have been retained. "Can't they be similar?" "These cup sleeves and fans were all given away for free, not sold, and did not create a single cent of value." Jueke Coffee also said that the company's legal affairs department has communicated with the illustrator's side many times and provided creative materials. The company did not infringe, so naturally it will not apologize or compensate.

Netizens who came to "watch the drama," after clarifying the cause and effect, especially after seeing the comparison images, said bluntly one after another, "Exactly the same": "Even the position of the watermelon seeds is the same, and this can be called similar?" "If this doesn't count, then what does? I suggest filing a lawsuit directly and paying for commercial use!"

The illustrator believes that the infringement is still continuing, and that they have already preserved the evidence. The next step will be to sue Jueke Coffee.

Since one side says one thing and the other says another, then the result can only be left to a fair third party to determine. Let's wait and see what happens next!

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.