advertisement

German gummy bear in legal battle with competitor

BERLIN — A German gummy bear is taking on a foil-wrapped Swiss chocolate teddy in a legal showdown.

Cologne’s regional court decides Tuesday on a complaint brought by Germany’s Haribo GmbH against Switzerland’s Lindt & Spruengli AG over alleged trademark violations.

Haribo, which invented the ubiquitous gummy bear almost a century ago, claims that Lindt’s chocolate bear wrapped in gold foil called “Goldteddy” violates the Bonn-based company’s “Goldbaer” trademark.

Haribo argues the two products often end up side-by-side on shelves and that the similar names could confuse consumers.

Lindt says there are enough differences to avoid confusion. It also says the Haribo gummy bears are so well known by German consumers they’re not likely to confuse them with anything else.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.