Impossible Foods Held Liable for Intentional and Malicious Infringement of "IMPOSSIBLE" Trademark Owned By Endurance Athlete and Influencer Joel Runyon -- Federal Jury Awards Compensatory and Punitive Damages

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 24, 2026, BraunHagey & Borden's ("BHB") trial team—led by Adam Cashman and Marissa Benavides—secured a complete victory for clients Impossible LLC and Joel Runyon against meat-alternative producer Impossible Foods Inc. ("IFI") over rights to the mark "IMPOSSIBLE" in connection with recipes, apparel, and cookbooks. In addition to $1.5 million in compensatory damages, the jury awarded Impossible LLC $1.75 million in punitive damages, finding that IFI had willfully infringed and acted with malice, fraud, and oppression in violating Joel's trademark rights.

Trademark infringement verdicts are unusual and difficult to achieve, and this one is particularly significant. Joel was the original user and registrant of the IMPOSSIBLE mark in relation to endurance athletics and apparel, health and nutrition, and sporting events, among others. After Joel spent years developing his IMPOSSIBLE mark portfolio, IFI renamed itself from Maraxi to "Impossible Foods" and launched IMPOSSIBLE-branded products, even as its trademark and web searches confirmed Joel's preexisting marks, activity, and branding. When Joel reached out to IFI to clarify the parties' respective intellectual property positions, IFI responded with a federal lawsuit in California in which it sought to cancel Joel's marks and take his brand.

When it became clear that the case would proceed to trial, Joel retained BHB. One year later, an eight-person jury returned a unanimous verdict in Joel's favor, finding that IFI had willfully and maliciously infringed his marks and awarding $1.5 million in corrective advertising damages. Because of the egregiousness of IFI's conduct, the jury also awarded an additional $1.75 million in punitive damages. Joel will also seek recovery of his attorneys' fees and court costs.

The verdict represents a significant win for smaller and creative businesses protecting their rights and holding the line against large enterprises that seek to swamp smaller, prior brand owners – and who attempt to use large war chests and the threat of years of litigation (in this case over five years of litigation) to steal another's intellectual property rights.  Joel's entire life work, brand and business were at stake in the litigation – and his claims were fully vindicated.

"We're grateful to the Court and the jury for the time they have invested to help us get to this just result," said Joel Runyon. "The jury's verdict sends a clear message that trademarks are not just pieces of paper and a brand is more than just the name of a company—they stand for something, they matter, and they can't be willfully trampled. I'm looking forward to getting back to growing my company and inspiring people to do something IMPOSSIBLE."

BraunHagey & Borden LLP is one of the nation's leading commercial litigation boutiques with offices in San Francisco and New York. The firm represents businesses, investors, and entrepreneurs in complex, bet-the-company commercial disputes. The firm also has a dedicated impact practice composed of trial lawyers who bring cases to protect underrepresented groups in civil rights and environmental matters. Website: https://www.braunhagey.com/

Contact: Adam Cashman - [email protected] 

SOURCE BraunHagey & Borden LLP