Kamil Khan's Sauder Blog

Michael Hallatt is victorious after recent legal dispute between him and Trader Joe’s.

Michael Hallatt is a Canadian entrepreneur and owner of Pirate Joe’s, a Vancouver store which sells nothing but  Trader Joe’s merchandise. Every week, Hallat must make the trip to Washington to purchase groceries from Trader Joe’s, and return to resell them at his store. This year at Sauder FROSH, I’ve had the opportunity to get to hear  Hallatt speak about the struggles he’s had to deal with to keep his store Pirate Joe’s in business. He explained his experiences dealing with the cease and desist letter he received from the US grocery giant, and how he believed he wasn’t doing anything wrong. After ignoring the cease and desist order and continuing his business operations, Trader Joe’s decided to press charges. Now, it seems that Michael Hallatt may have finally caught a break.

Judge Marsha Pechman recently dismissed the court case against Hallat, claiming that Pirate Joe’s shows to have done “no economic harm” because the products were all “purchased at  at Trader Joe’s at retail price.”

It is somewhat inspiring to see someone fight so strongly to maintain their own small business, despite mounting external pressures trying to get him to give up.