Jack in the Box
- Jack in the Box sued crytpo exchange FTX, saying the crypto giant copied its 70-year-old mascot.
- The mascots share similar features, including a spherical, white head and blue dot eyes.
- FTX aired its "Moon Man" mascot during Major League Baseball playoffs.
In a lawsuit filed last week, Jack in the Box accused cryptocurrency exchange FTX of ripping off the burger chain's 70-year-old mascot, named Jack, which debuted in 1951 and has since appeared in hundreds of commercials.
Jack in the Box is seeking monetary damages and an injunction restraining FTX from using the mascot.
FTX's "Moon Man" mascot recently appeared during Major League Baseball playoffs, and the two companies' mascots share a cartoonish sphere-shaped head, blue dot eyes, and a smile.
"Rather than spending its vast financial resources to develop its own intellectual property, FTX brazenly and illegally copied or derived its 'Moon Man' mascot from JITB's Jack," the lawsuit stated.
The lawsuit also took a jab at the appearance of FTX's character, saying: "Making matters worse, FTX's Moon Man is a far inferior version of Jack that is now tarnishing Jack's reputation to consumers."
FTX, founded by 29-year-old Sam Bankman-Fried, topped the list of freshly minted unicorn companies last month, and is valued at $18 billion. FTX is partnered with MLB, and the "Moon Man" mascot has been seen sitting behind home plate at playoff games. The company also offered to donate $10,000 to charity for any player that hit a home run.
The lawsuit also pointed to social-media comments comparing the two mascots as evidence that "Moon Man" was causing confusion.
One user referred to FTX's mascot as "Jack in the Box's drugged up cousin."
Another said: "This guy is not the moon, this is Jack in the Box gone off the percs."
"The two characters are strikingly similar in both appearance and behavior," Jack in the Box's lawsuit said. "FTX knowingly copied or derived its Moon Man from the copyright protected Jack Character given JITB's longstanding use of these famous properties."
Jack in the Box and FTX didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.