9. The Aunt Jemima Doctrine has been cited in numerous cases, with varying results
The arguments of the defendants in the lawsuit which led to the Aunt Jemima Doctrine went something like the following. A customer looking for a box of Aunt Jemima pancake mix isn’t likely to think a can of Aunt Jemima pancake syrup is a substitute for the flour mix, and vice versa. Whether they are products of the same company is immaterial, they aren’t competing with each other for the customer’s dollar. Though the judge agreed with Aunt Jemima Mills, creating the doctrine, it has been used in other cases in favor of allowing two similarly named products to coexist. One famous case citing Aunt Jemima Doctrine occurred between Apple Computer and Apple Corp, the company formed by the Beatles, when both continued to use a Granny Smith Apple as their logo.
Two years following the decision, the United States entered World War I, and restrictions on the use of flour and other products brought a sharp downturn in profits. Following the war, the economy contracted sharply before finally beginning to rebound in the early 1920s. However, Prohibition greatly reduced the demand for grain, and prices plummeted, further disrupting business. In 1925, Aunt Jemima Mills sold the brand, brand names, and trademarks to Quaker Oats. One of the new owner’s first acts included hiring a new portrayer of Aunt Jemima in advertising and live appearances, as it sought to rejuvenate the brand. Soon there were several women portraying Aunt Jemima, in different venues, contemporaneously.
