Denver Book Society, one of the city’s newest independent bookstores, is embroiled in a legal dispute with a similarly named West Coast book shop.
The rival store — Book Society, based in Berkeley, Calif. — has been accusing the Denver Book Society of taking its name and trying to convince owner Rich Garvin to change the new shop’s moniker.
Today, Garvin is smacking back in federal court to protect his two-month-old store’s brand.
The owners of the older Berkeley store had already been threatening to sue Denver Book Society, saying that they can’t share the words “book society.”
“There's no point in having a trademark unless you enforce it,” said Laura Guzman, owner of Berkeley’s Book Society, in an earlier interview with Denverite.
Denverite asked Denver Book Society owner Rich Garvin for comment. While he first agreed to meet earlier this week, he ultimately didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Days later, he filed a complaint in federal court asking a judge to protect his store’s right to use the “book society” name and to receive money to pay for court fees associated with “defending against meritless allegations of infringement.”
He did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit, either.
This legal squabble over “book society” is the latest drama plaguing the 17th Avenue and Humboldt Street shop since it opened in February.
“A book society is no novel concept”
The Berkeley store started using the “Book Society” name in 2023. Denver’s store opened in 2026.
Berkeley filed a still-pending trademark application to protect Book Society’s name, because the shop plans to expand its subscription service nationally, including here in Denver, where it has already hosted a pop-up and may do future business, the owners said.
The owners of both shops met ahead of the Denver store opening. Garvin, the Denver owner, described the two stores as “sister stores” in a voicemail to the Berkeley shop’s owners.
Meanwhile, the California owners feared they were getting dragged into the Denver store’s controversies — especially the fracas over Kwame Spearman, who was involved in Denver Book Society until he wasn’t.
Garvin argues that the Berkeley and Denver stores are operating in separate parts of the country and under different names. There is no concrete evidence of brand confusion, the claim states.
“A book society is no novel concept,” his lawsuit states. “Book societies have existed in various forms for centuries.”
Guzman told Denverite the Berkeley store’s lawyers are still reviewing the case and that she cannot comment until that happens.
“Honestly, we really wish we could just focus on the work we're doing here providing a welcoming space, great books and engaging programming,” she wrote Denverite. “We're committed to continuing to support our community.”
