Rebel Creamery files for bankruptcy after losing $23.8M Van Leeuwen Ice Cream packaging battle

Key Points:

• Rebel Creamery, a Utah-based ice cream maker known for its low-carb Rebel Ice Cream, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after being ordered to pay $23.8 million to rival Van Leeuwen for intentionally copying its packaging design.
• The US District Judge ruled that Rebel’s packaging closely resembled Van Leeuwen’s pastel-colored, minimalist design, causing customer confusion and infringing on Van Leeuwen’s trade dress.
• Rebel was ordered to cease selling the infringing packaging, redesign its pints, and disgorge profits from the sales of the copied products, leading to significant financial strain with assets and debts both estimated between $10 million and $50 million.
• Rebel denied the allegations and claimed its founders had not seen Van Leeuwen’s packaging during their design process, but the judge found Rebel’s testimony fabricated and the similarity unlikely to be coincidental.
• Van Leeuwen, founded in 2008 in New York City, has expanded into a national chain with around 100 scoop shops across the US as of 2026, while Rebel filed an appeal against the judgment shortly before its bankruptcy filing.