Death Wish Coffee Sues Liquid Death Over Trademark Infringement
October 11 - 2025
Coffee Geography Magazine
In a legal clash that pits two provocatively named beverage brands against each other, Death Wish Coffee Co. has filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit against Liquid Death. The suit, lodged in a California court, aims to stop Liquid Death from launching a new line of coffee products, a move the coffee company claims directly infringes on its long-established 'Death' trademarks.
Death Wish Coffee, founded by Mike Brown in 2012 and headquartered in Saratoga Springs, New York, has built its brand on selling what it calls the "world's strongest coffee." The company, which blends robusta and arabica beans from India and Peru, among other countries, gained national recognition after a 2013 feature on "Good Morning America." Its profile was further amplified in 2016 when it won the Intuit Small Business Big Game Competition, becoming the smallest company ever to run a commercial during Super Bowl 50. In a unique partnership, the company even worked with NASA Food Labs in 2018 to develop a freeze-dried coffee for astronauts on the International Space Station.
The controversy ignited when Liquid Death, a brand famous for its edgy marketing of canned mountain water and sparkling beverages, recently filed trademark applications for "Liquid Death" and "Liquid Death Deathuccino" to enter the coffee market. According to the 20-page complaint from Death Wish, this represents a direct threat to its business, which has cultivated a strong foothold in the ready-to-drink coffee segment with products sold in major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Kroger.
Death Wish argues that the launch of a product like "Deathuccino" would confuse consumers and dilute its brand identity. The lawsuit highlights the "nearly identical aesthetic" both brands employ, leveraging a "death-themed" strategy that has garnered significant media attention for each. The complaint further states that the similarities in trade dress and branding could lead to consumer confusion, especially if the products sit side-by-side on retail shelves. Death Wish also raised the concern of "reverse confusion," where consumers might mistakenly believe that Death Wish's products are affiliated with, or are inferior imitations of, Liquid Death's new offerings.
The coffee company noted that it had attempted to negotiate with Liquid Death to abandon its trademark applications before resorting to litigation, but those talks were unsuccessful. Through its legal firm, BraunHagey & Borden LLP, Death Wish is now seeking to block Liquid Death from using any 'Death'-formative marks for its coffee products, along with punitive damages and reimbursement for legal fees.
In response, Liquid Death issued a statement asserting it currently has no plans to launch a ready-to-drink coffee product, though it is exploring future brand innovations. The company also pushed back on the core claim of the lawsuit, stating that no single brand can claim exclusive ownership over the term 'Death,' pointing to the existence of other brands that use similar themes in various markets.