5 years of legal battle ends in victory for small business owner

Influencer and endurance sports athlete Joel Runyon won a trademark infringement lawsuit filed against global food company Impossible Foods. On March 24, 2026 (local time), a U.S. court jury ruled in favor of Runyon and his company, Impossible LLC, and ordered Impossible Foods to pay a total of $3.25 million (about 4.2 billion won) in damages.

The compensation consisted of $1.5 million in compensatory damages and $1.75 million in punitive damages. The eight-person jury unanimously determined that Impossible Foods had "intentionally infringed" Runyon's trademark rights and had acted with "malice, fraud and oppression."

The trademark registered first was tried to be taken away by a large company.

The core of this dispute is the prior user rights to the trademark ‘IMPOSSIBLE’. According to the court investigation, Runyon had registered and used the trademark in endurance sports, clothing and nutrition-related businesses for several years before Impossible Foods adopted its current name.

The problem was Impossible Foods' response. Despite confirming Runyon's prior use through internal trademark searches and web research, the company continued to pursue its mission and branding of 'Impossible Foods'. When Runyon attempted to resolve the issue, Impossible Foods instead filed a federal lawsuit, attempting to revoke Runyon's trademark and take control of the brand.

The counterattack of large corporations actually made me angry.

The aggressive legal response of large corporations against small-scale startups ultimately led to even bigger losses. After more than five years of litigation, the jury found that Impossible Foods' actions were intentional infringements, not simple mistakes. The fact that punitive damages were set higher than compensatory damages reflects this judgment.

In addition to damages, Runyon is seeking additional recovery of legal fees and litigation costs.

“The jury’s verdict sends a clear message that a trademark is more than just a piece of paper and a brand is more than a company name,” Runyon said after the ruling. “Trademarks stand for something, they are important, and they cannot be trampled on purpose. Now, I look forward to getting back to growing the company and inspiring people to do the ‘impossible.’”