Nestlé seizes compatible Nespresso capsules
The world's largest food group, Nestlé, has seized a competitor’s coffee capsules that are used with its Nespresso machines.
The capsules, produced by the Fribourg-based Ethical Coffee Co. (ECC) for French supermarket chain Casino, were taken on Tuesday, Agence France Presse said.
ECC's capsules were launched in the French market on May 27.
French authorities, acting on behalf of Nestlé, seized small amounts of coffee capsules from two distributors, ECC head Jean-Paul Gaillard said on Thursday.
Nestlé told swissinfo.ch on Wednesday that the seized counterfeit goods infringed on their Nespresso patent, but it was "too early to indicate the parties involved".
Swiss-based Nestlé is also launching legal proceedings in France against another company, the Sara Lee Corporation, for patent infringement on other coffee capsules that are used with its machines.
The Nespresso packaged capsules, used in special coffee machines to brew individual cups of espresso, are Nestlé’s top-selling product.
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