Thursday 15 April 2021

M&S are being a bit pathetic, if you ask me.

From the BBC:

Marks & Spencer has begun legal action against Aldi, arguing the supermarket's Cuthbert the Caterpillar cake infringes its Colin the Caterpillar trademark. M&S argues that their similarity leads consumers to believe they are of the same standard and "rides on the coat-tails" of M&S's reputation.

It lodged an intellectual property claim with the High Court this week. M&S wants Aldi to remove the product from sale and agree not to sell anything similar in the future. The retailer has three trademarks relating to Colin, which it believes means Colin has acquired and retains an enhanced distinctive character and reputation.

The product was launched around 30 years ago. Colin's appearance has been substantially unchanged since around 2004, except for adaptations for events such as Halloween and Christmas, and related products such as Connie the Caterpillar.

A spokesman said: "Because we know the M&S brand is special to our customers and they expect only the very best from us, love and care goes into every M&S product on our shelves.

7 comments:

Mark In Mayenne said...

If M&S are claiming rights to every forename starting with C that is assigned to a caterpillar, perhaps we should see how they react to Colin the C*nt

Mark Wadsworth said...

MIM, it would be fun if Aldi's lawyers advanced that comparison in Court.

A K Haart said...

Asda has a version called Clyde the Caterpillar. They could add Bonnie the Caterpillar too - more than a match for Colin and Cuthbert.

MrMC said...

If you leave it a week or so does it turn into a butterfly cake ?

Mark Wadsworth said...

AKH, good idea, trademark it quick and then sue Asda.

MrMC, interesting thought, I assume it would go mouldy before it re-emerged.

Scrobs. said...

How about 'Charlie the Chafer grub'?

In Lewes, East Suusex, there is the Cuilfail Tunnel, dug through chalk to create a decent bypass. At the mouth of the tunnel, on the roundabout, is a large sculpture of an ammonite, but most people know it as 'Brain the Snail'...

Mark Wadsworth said...

S, so the BBC should be suing Lewes Town Council for breach of copyright?