It's Sprinkles vs. Pink Sprinkles in cupcake wars

The Associated Press, Monday, July 18, 2011, 9:44am (PDT)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- Candace Nelson plays a judge on the Food Network's reality television show "Cupcake Wars." But now her cupcakes are at the center of a fight with a cupcake upstart.

Nelson's company, Sprinkles Cupcakes, is so frosted that it filed a federal trademark-infringeme nt lawsuit Friday in Connecticut against a store named Pink Sprinkles. The lawsuit claims the similarity in names is likely to cause confusion in the marketplace.

The lawsuit says Sprinkles opened its first store in Beverly Hills in 2005 and became a national phenomenon as the cupcakes were featured on Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart and other shows. It is opening stores around the country.

Pink Sprinkles opened in 2009 and calls itself "Fairfield's first cupcake boutique."

Messages were left Monday for the owner of Pink Sprinkles.