YouTuber James Donaldson, better known as ‘MrBeast,’ lost a trademark infringement case to Dee’s Nuts company in Jacksonville, Florida, News4Jax reported Wednesday.
Donaldson, 25, can no longer use the name ‘Deez Nutz’ to sell his Feastables milk chocolate and peanut butter bar, a federal judge ruled earlier in December, News4Jax reported. Dee’s Nuts LLC reportedly filed a complaint against MrBeast for trademark infringement in August, claiming the name of the candy bar was “confusingly similar and phonetically equivalent.”
Brian Ditore started Dee’s Nuts in 2011 and named the company after his grandmother, often called “Mrs. Dee,” per the outlet. The company has gained national recognition, selling flavored gourmet peanuts as well as apparel on its website and in many retail stores in southern states. (RELATED: ‘Mental Agony’: YouTuber Opens Up About Being Buried Alive For 7 Days)
Donaldson launched Deez Nutz chocolate bars in February with a viral video on Twitter. Dee’s Nuts LLC followed the announcement with a cease-and-desist motion against the social media star, according to court documents.
I wanted to run this as a Super Bowl ad but 7 million dollars was a lot of $ so you guys get it here
Try our Deez Nuts bar! – https://t.co/PqfLIIFHu4 pic.twitter.com/NSRtS7t49Q
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) February 14, 2023
Feastables still reportedly has the ‘Deez Nutz’ candy bar listed for sale on the website.
Donaldson has approximately 218 million subscribers on YouTube. He is famous for his viral videos of charitable acts such as giving away large amounts of money or his recent installation of clean wells in Africa, as well as challenges such as ‘I Spent 7 Days Buried Alive.’