The viral nugget meme that jumped from TikTok to the freezer aisle has now landed in federal court. Salisbury-based Perdue Foods, the poultry giant behind the “Six Seven” nugget drop, has asked a judge to shut down what it says is a copycat line from rival John Soules Foods. The Texas company’s new “67” Chicken Nuggets, launched with social-media figure Maverick Trevillian, are at the center of a trademark fight where Perdue is seeking an injunction, actual damages and any profits tied to the allegedly infringing campaign. That legal brawl is on hold for the moment, after a judge put the case on pause on Wednesday.
Perdue turned a meme into a limited-edition product
Perdue quietly turned the TikTok-born “6-7” craze into a real product, PERDUE Six Seven Chicken Nuggets, and began shipping shaped, panko-breaded bags to roughly 3,000 Walmart locations on May 1. According to Perdue, the run was pitched as a short-term, social-media-driven promotion tied directly to the meme.
Public records at Justia show Perdue filed trademark applications for the “6 7” mark in late April 2026 for frozen chicken and related goods, signaling it was not treating the joke as a throwaway gag.
Soules Kitchen says "67" is its own thing
John Soules Foods’ consumer arm, Soules Kitchen, followed with a competing “67” Chicken Nuggets product promoted as arriving in Kroger and ALDI freezers this July. On the company’s product pages, Maverick Trevillian, the teen associated with the original meme, is prominently featured as part of the rollout, and Soules leans into branding the nuggets as “kitchen-crafted.” Soules’ own site lays out the product details and promotional messaging for the 67 launch.
The federal complaint and what Perdue alleges
Perdue responded by filing a trademark-infringement suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on June 23, asking for preliminary injunctive relief and other remedies. In court filings, Perdue spells out its theory: that Soules’ “67” packaging, including the shaped numerals, cartoon hands and similarly playful artwork, creates a likelihood of consumer confusion with Perdue’s 6-7 trade dress and overall look.
Bloomberg Law reported that Perdue wants the court to block Soules from using the challenged branding at all and to let Perdue recover damages and any profits tied to the disputed campaign.
Perdue says it already lost retail opportunities
According to the complaint, at least one major national grocery retailer declined to carry Perdue’s 6-7 bags because it planned to stock Soules’ rival product instead. Perdue says that the decision cost the company shelf space, sales, and goodwill with shoppers. The filing also alleges Perdue sent a cease-and-desist letter to John Soules Foods in June and that Soules refused to discontinue the contested branding.
Perdue is asking the court for more than a simple name change. The company wants any infringing materials recalled or destroyed and is seeking an award of profits tied to the competing 6-7 marketing.
Judge pauses the fight
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia entered a temporary stay on the case on Wednesday, putting Perdue’s push for immediate injunctive relief on ice, according to the Maryland Daily Record. The outlet also reported that Perdue is represented by a team from Venable LLP and that spokespeople for both companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
With the stay in place, the court is holding off on scheduling or hearing Perdue’s motion for a preliminary injunction while the judge and the parties sort out next steps.
Legal angle: Lanham Act and trade dress
Perdue’s lawsuit leans on Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, codified at 15 U.S.C. § 1125, the federal provision that covers trademarks and trade dress that are used in a way likely to cause consumer confusion. Under that statute and the cases interpreting it, a company seeking a preliminary injunction has to show both a likelihood of success on the merits and a risk of irreparable harm.
The court will weigh those factors by looking at the total commercial impression, including product packaging, artwork, and how consumers encounter the goods on shelves. Perdue’s filings highlight the shaped numerals, the cartoon-style hands and the playful packaging as source-identifying elements that it says Soules copied. Those are the same kinds of trade-dress features the Lanham Act is designed to protect, as summarized by Cornell Law School.
Why it matters
The lawsuit underscores how fast a viral joke can turn into an intellectual-property battle once brands see a way to cash in. Companies and retailers are already quick to package internet culture as limited-edition products, and Perdue’s move to register and protect the 6-7 look shows how firms try to lock down even short-lived phenomena for commercial gain. Other 6-7 tie-ins were reported across retail partnerships last year, suggesting this meme has already been heavily mined for marketing.
For now, the dispute is in a holding pattern. Court watchers and industry insiders will be tracking the docket and any public statements from the companies to see whether the next move is a hard-fought injunction hearing or a quiet settlement that sends this nugget feud back to the freezer.
