The Campbell's Company has sued a Michigan Congressional candidate and her political campaign committee over using a Campbell's Soup can theme in her campaign that the company alleges impermissibly resembles the food company's branding and design. 

The lawsuit against Shelby Nicole Campbell, 31, of Detroit, was filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The allegations in the lawsuit are infringement of a federally registered trademark, false designation of origin and false endorsement.  

Campbell's, whose product line includes its flagship condensed soup line, as well as sauces, pasta and beverages, is seeking a jury trial, along with a preliminary and permanent injunction against the candidate and Shelby Campbell's campaign from using any logo design, social media hashtags or other content that refers to the term "soup," along with any other content that suggests an endorsement or affiliation with Campbell's. 

Shelby Campbell is running as a Democrat in the 2026 election cycle for Michigan's 13th District, which includes parts of Detroit and some of its Wayne County suburbs. The incumbent representative in that seat is Democrat Shri Thanedar. 

The company said in its lawsuit that it sent Shelby Campbell a cease and desist notice on Sept. 2, 2025, "requesting them to stop using Campbell's intellectual property and discard all materials featuring their infringing design." 

Shelby Campbell's website, Soup4Change, includes the marking "paid for by Shelby Campbell for Congress" and lists her policy directions in topics such as public transportation, affordable housing and federal labor laws. 

The lawsuit by the Camden, New Jersey-based food company alleges the use of a slogan and visual theme that appears similar to the design of a Campbell's soup can. The company said that it has "diligently developed and protected its famous trademarks and trade dress" for more than a century. "Those efforts have been successful over many years," the lawsuit states, naming two election committees in other states that backed off use of similar styling as examples. 

The food company says in the lawsuit that it has received multiple messages and emails from people asking whether the company has endorsed the candidate. 

The lawsuit claims Shelby Campbell has refused Campbell's request that she change her campaign logo and cites a social media post by Shelby Campbell where the congressional candidate posted the food company's cease-and-desist letter and her response, saying that the dispute would "make [her] blow up and really win congress easily."

The lawsuit cites another social media post by Shelby Campbell, where she posted that the food company's efforts to protect its brand and trademark "didn't work then" and "won't work now."

"Defendants have made clear that they have no intention of changing their campaign logo," the lawsuit claims.

In response to the lawsuit, Shelby Campbell told CBS News Detroit that she "can't discuss the specifics of ongoing litigation." 

Campbell further went on to say, "Powerful institutions, whether educational or corporate, often use their vast resources to control narratives, intimidate individuals, and dictate outcomes. This is exactly why I'm running for Congress: because our legal system should not be a weapon reserved for the wealthy."

The lawsuit also claims Shelby Campbell's campaign is distributing "stickers and other merchandise bearing the infringing design in commerce to actual and prospective campaign contributors and to the general public throughout the United States," citing the campaign's website and social media accounts offering these stickers. 

According to her campaign website, Shelby Campbell is a former assembly line worker and a United Auto Workers member and is a graduate of Rock Valley College in Illinois and of Wayne State University. She also attended Detroit Mercy School of Law.