Maitake Products Sues Tradeworks, JHS Over Mushroom Claims 32144

Maitake Products Sues Tradeworks, JHS Over Mushroom Claims

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.--Maitake Products filed a lawsuit in U.S.District Court for the Southern District of New York against Brattleboro,Vt.-based Tradeworks Group and Eugene, Ore.-based JHS Natural Products. Thelawsuit alleges that Tradeworks and JHS have engaged in false and misleadingadvertising, and have infringed on Maitake Products' registered trademark. Eachof the companies supplies extracts of maitake mushroom.

Maitake Products supplies Maitake D-Fraction, while Tradeworks and JHSoffer MaitakeGold and MD-Fraction. According to Maitake Products, Tradeworks andJHS advertised their products as the extract used in clinical studies onD-fraction (a beta glucan). "Our D-Fraction has been the base for almostall science of maitake mushroom for the last 12 to 15 years," said MikeShirota, president and chief executive of Maitake Products. The Maitakecomplaint also claims that use of the term "MD-Fraction" inadvertising and promotional materials will cause confusion with the MaitakeD-Fraction trademark.

Tradeworks released a statement in response to the complaint. "Theannouncement and the complaint contain nothing more than unproven allegationsmade by a competitor," it read. "We certainly expect to refute theseallegations and . expect to resolve various grievances we have with [MaitakeProducts] in response." When contacted by INSIDER, a spokesman saidthere would be no further comment at this time beyond the statement.

A representative from JHS Natural Products told INSIDER that thecompany had no comment on the lawsuit at this time.