An Oregan based company is suing Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop over its Good. Clean. Goop product line. Good Clean Love (“GCL”), which was founded in 2003 and specializes in women’s hygiene and sexual health products, claims Goop is intentionally using the “Good. Clean. Goop” mark in connection with its own sexual health product so that it can benefit from GCL’s established and recognized “Good Clean Love” trademark for sexual health products. It claims trademark infringement, false advertising and unfair competition in violation of the Lanham Act, and is seeking both injunctive and monetary relief.

GCL says it filed suit “to prevent the calamitous situation where a junior trademark user, with substantial economic power, saturates the marketplace with a trademark that threatens to overtake a smaller senior user’s mark and usurp the senior user’s reputation and goodwill.”

Goop asserts that the claims are meritless and claims that it ‘trusts consumers to distinguish goop from the plethora of other ‘good clean’ products in the marketplace’.

According to the lawsuit, the “Good. Clean. Goop” product line contains known harsh chemicals and Goop’s alleged infringement of its trademarks is likely to mislead consumers into believing that GCL’s products also contain harmful substances. Further, any association with Goop is damaging, given Paltrow’s association with pseudoscience. Ouch!

Goop, which was founded in 2008, is no stranger to accusations of pseudoscience and allegations of promoting veritable snake oils are common. Back in 2008, the company agreed to pay $145,000 in civil penalties in California, over unsubstantiated claims that ‘vaginal eggs’ made from jade, could balance hormones, increase bladder control and help prevent depression. Other products promoted by Goop include vampire repellant and coffee enemas.

It’s an unfortunate truth that IP laws are heavily stacked in favor of the man with the deeper pocket. While a small business owner may own trademarks or registered design rights, a legal battle to defend them can quickly eat up capital as they find themselves in a David and Goliath situation.

“Without prompt assistance from this court, Goop’s adoption of the mark good.clean.goop threatens to overwhelm the Good Clean Love trademark and undermine Good Clean Love’s two decades of investment in its goodwill and reputation,”GCL state in the suit.

The case is Good Clean Love Inc. v. Goop Inc., D. Or., No. 6:24-cv-00525, complaint 3/28/24