Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli’s foil-wrapped chocolate bunnies deserve protection from copycat products, Switzerland’s highest court has ruled. It ordered German discounter Lidl to stop selling a similar product in Switzerland and to destroy its remaining stock.
Surveys submitted by Lindt showed Lindt’s Easter bunny was well known to the public, the Federal Court said, adding that the two products were likely to be confused even though there were some differences between them.
It overturned a Swiss commercial court’s ruling against Lindt and in favour of two Swiss units of Lidl last year and ordered Lidl to destroy its inventory of chocolate bunnies.
“Destruction is proportionate, especially as it does not necessarily mean that the chocolate as such would have to be destroyed,” it said in a summary of its verdict.
Swiss premium chocolate maker Lindt has fought many court battles over the years to protect one of its best-selling products.
Germany’s federal court ruled last year that the gold tone of its foil-wrapped Easter bunny had trademark protection.
More
More
The pioneers of Switzerland’s ‘Chocolate Revolution’
This content was published on
How did a country without a single homegrown cocoa bean become one of the world’s leading chocolate manufacturers?
This content was published on
Viola Amherd has expressed her “deep shock” at the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday.
This content was published on
A man injured half a dozen people with knives, two of them seriously, before being arrested on Wednesday in northern Switzerland.
Switzerland to introduce flight passenger database
This content was published on
Switzerland plans to introduce a flight passenger database to collect and process personal data in a bid to combat terrorism and serious crime.
Government plans to invest over CHF16bn in Swiss rail network
This content was published on
The federal government intends to invest CHF16.4 billion ($18.1 billion) in railway infrastructure between 2025 and 2028, CHF2 billion more than for the current period.
Swiss to vote on pension reform and biodiversity in September
This content was published on
Swiss citizens will vote on occupational pension schemes and a biodiversity initiative on September 22, the Federal Council announced on Wednesday.
Ukraine peace talks: 50 countries have confirmed participation
This content was published on
To date, 50 countries out 160 invited delegations have confirmed they will attend the Ukraine peace conference, held in central Switzerland in mid-June, according to Swiss public radio, RTS.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Legal victory for Lindt in German chocolate bunny case
This content was published on
The Federal Court of Justice delivered its verdict on Thursday in a battle between Lindt and German company Heilemann, which in 2018 also marketed a chocolate bunny in a gold foil wrap. Lindt claimed it had a trademark on the colour, acquired by use, and that Heilemann had infringed this trademark and should be prevented…
This content was published on
The companies are fighting legal battles on several fronts in an effort to keep their products exclusive. This struggle is a common but unwanted side effect of success in a hyper-competitive market, according to brand consultant Peter Lux. “Brand protection is a growing activity of all companies which have, or believe they have, something to…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.