Mister Softee is going hard on some copycat ice cream trucks.
The New Jersey-based franchise claims that three Big Apple operators are trying to trick children by using “imposter” trucks painted to look like Mister Softee and in one case even copying the brand’s familiar jingle, according to federal court documents.
“Mister Softee takes its trademarks seriously and will always aggressively protect them,” said Frank Reino, a lawyer for the franchise, who promised the iconic brand would be coming for other wannabes.
“Anyone operating an ice cream truck that imitates Mister Softee’s trademarked white with bluetrim truck design, its trademarked musical jingle or any of its other trademarks should immediately stop before Mister Softee finds them and forces them to stop,” Reino said.
Attorneys are looking to ice out the copycat coneheads with a double scoop of federal litigation claiming trademark infringement, which was first reported by NJ.com on Monday.
Mister Softee first realized back in June that the fake trucks were using their trademark logos, designs — and in one case, the jingle composed for the company, according to the suits, filed in both the Southern and Eastern District Courts last month.
The company immediately issued cease-and-desist notices to all of the false operators, but the trucks’ owners ignored the letter and kept cashing in all summer, the suits claim.
The Mister Softee trademarks were first registered as far back as 1958, the suit said.
One defendant connected to an accused Queens-based imposter truck, Mustafa Selvi, told Mister Softee that he had sold the truck to his co-defendant, Gokhan Guzey, according to the suit.
Selvi couldn’t be reached for comment. Guzey didn’t respond to a voice message
Up in the Bronx, another impostor truck operated by Jesus Ramos Valdes not only stole the Mister Softee signature blue-and-white trim, but its iconic sound too, according to the second federal suit.
Valdes also allegedly ignored the cease-and-desist notice and is still operating the infringing truck, the suit claims.
The Post wasn’t able to reach Valdes.
Mister Softee was founded in Philadelphia in 1956 by William and James Conway and operates roughly 350 franchisees and 625 trucks across 18 states, the company said.
In 1958, the company relocated to Runnemede, New Jersey, and operated over 2,000 trucks at its peak in the 1960’s, NJ.com reports.
The Conway family still operates the iconic brand to this day, their website states.