Quit Using Our Goose, Wawa Tells NJ Congressional Candidate

NEW JERSEY — Wawa has sent a cease-and-desist order to congressional candidate Matt Jenkins, demanding he stop using a goose that is similar to that in the convenience store chain's logo.

In a letter dated Sept. 28, the Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain demanded Jenkins, a Democrat running against Republican Chris Smith for the 4th District congressional seat, stop using a stylized flying goose as part of his campaign logo, saying it is too similar to the company's logo.

"It has come to our attention that your congressional campaign is using a logo highly similar to and likely to be confused with Wawa’s well-known goose logo," the letter from Douglas Panzer, the company's trademark attorney, said. "In fact, it appears that the geese used in your campaign’s logo are identical to Wawa’s earlier goose logo."

"It is already apparent that the public has drawn an association between your campaign’s
use of the Wawa Goose Logo and Wawa," the letter continued. "And as you stated in your Tweets ... the use of the Wawa Goose in your campaign’s logo is immediately familiar because of Wawa’s
notoriety among the people of New Jersey."

"This gives the impression of Wawa’s association with or sponsorship of your campaign," Panzer wrote.

Jenkins' logo shows two flying geese, one overlapping the other next to his name.

The similarity was first raised publicly in a tweet by Politico reporter Matt Friedman, and in reply Jenkins said he wanted something that would be familiar to voters.

"For a lot of people in our district, Wawa represents them. When we launched this race to replace Chris Smith, I wanted our logo to feel instantly familiar," Jenkins tweeted.

The goose in question no longer is trademarked by Wawa. Its trademark expired when the company failed to renew it — trademarks must be renewed every 10 years—and it was canceled by the federal government in February 2016.

"Why are we talking about birds when my opponent is writing the national abortion ban alongside Sen. Lindsey Graham," Jenkins said in an email response to a request for comment. "Anyone living in this district knows it's normal to see geese. What’s not normal is Rep. Chris Smith’s national abortion ban in the face of a 10-year-old carrying their rapist's child."

The bill introduced in September would ban abortions after 15 weeks but provides exceptions in cases of rape, incest or danger to the life or physical health of the mother, according to Graham's office.

"Plagiarizing a corporate symbol is wrong, and my opponent needs to take responsibility for his actions by shredding the materials displaying a trademarked corporate image," Smith said in response to Jenkins' criticisms. "Voters are sick and tired of candidates who think they are above the law."

"While we appreciate your affinity for Wawa and your recognition of its special relationship with the people of New Jersey, failure of Wawa to enforce the exclusivity of its marks could have a diluting effect on the value of our client’s mark and accordingly requires that we stop any unauthorized use of those marks or marks confusingly similar thereto," Panzer wrote. "As such, we kindly request that you immediately cease and desist any use of the Wawa Goose Logo or any logo that is confusingly similar and confirm with me that your campaign has done and will continue to do so."

As of Wednesday, there was no indication that Jenkins plans to stop using the logo.