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Piece, Love & Chocolate, a small family-owned chocolate shop located on Pearl Street in Boulder, has received a cease and desist letter from attorneys of Vosges Haut-Chocolat for trademark violations over the shop's name. Sarah Amorese, owner and founder of the chocolate boutique, issued a public letter for Vosges owner Katrina Markoff on the shop's blog that expressed emotions of "shock, withering and sadness by Vosges' abrupt and and heavy handed act."
Vosges Haut Chocolat's attorneys demanded that Piece, Love & Chocolate completely stop using the name within one week of receiving the letter. Amorese was informed that "Peace, Love & Chocolate" is s a trademarked phrase by Vosges that is also used as the company's blog URL. Chicago attorney Mr. Jayaram claimed that the use of their name Piece, Love & Chocolate is "confusingly similar and creates a misleading impression among [Vosges'] customers that [PL&C's] services and/or products are somehow connected to or authorized by Vosges."
Amorese acknowledges that the lawsuit has the potential to close her beloved chocolate boutique, leaving her questioning the existence of real "peace and love" between the two companies. The letter closes with Amorese's request for Markoff to reconsider and not go through with the lawsuit.