The Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s determination that the key element of a gourmet bakery’s registered pastry design was functional, and therefore ineligible for trademark protection, in Sweet Street Desserts, Inc. v. Chudleigh’s Ltd., Nos. 15-1445 & 15-1548.

In the mid-90’s, Chudleigh’s developed a single-serving apple pie, with a round shape and six overlapping folds of pastry encircling the pie filling. Chudleigh’s registered a trademark for its pie—the “Blossom Design”—and entered into discussions with Applebee’s from 2008-2010 to supply apple pies without reaching a deal. In 2010, Applebee’s asked Sweet Street Desserts, also a dessert manufacturer and restaurant supplier, to develop a single-serve apple pie. Sweet Street Desserts entered into a contract with Applebee’s to supply a “round ‘apple pocket’ that consisted of a unitary, pie-like bottom with an open top covered by six rectangular pieces of dough folded around the filling in a counter-clockwise spiral pattern ….” Sweet Street Desserts entered into discussions with Chudleigh’s to outsource the production of the product, but the parties did not reach an agreement and Sweet Street Desserts produced the dessert itself.

Chudleigh’s complained to Applebee’s that the Sweet Street Dessert’s apple pie infringed on Chudleigh’s “Blossom Design,” and feature the same “six-fold spiral pattern.” Sweet Street Desserts then filed a declaratory action in federal court, seeking a declaration that its product did not infringe on Chudleigh’s Blossom Design.

In its July 21, 2016 Opinion, the Third Circuit affirmed the district court’s grant of summary judgment to Sweet Street Desserts. Quoting the Supreme Court’s decision in TrafFix Devices, Inc. v. Mktg. Displays, Inc. 532 U.S. 23, 32 (2001), the Third Circuit reiterated that “a product feature is functional, and cannot serve as a trademark, if it is essential to the use or purpose of the article or if it affects the cost or quality of the article.” Chudleigh’s Blossom Design was functional because the number of folds in a pie must be proportional to the size and amount of filling in the pastry. Indeed, Chudleigh’s owner testified that during his creation of the Blossom Design, the “single-serving size and round shape of the design were critical to minimizing the cost of the pastry and to filling the need in the restaurant industry to reduce waste and ease serving.” The Blossom Design was functional and the cancellation of Chudleigh’s trademark was affirmed.

Sweet Street stands as a reminder that product designs that are essential to the use of the item or go to the item’s cost or performance are the province of patent protection, not trademark. The decision also reminds businesses of the usefulness of declaratory judgment actions in protecting against allegations of infringement of intellectual property rights.