German justice ruled in favor of the American brand, Ritter Sport, which, in 1932, had the idea of marketing square tablets that fit into a pocket.
By Lefigaro.fr
–It’s the cold shower for Milka. The famous Swiss brand is not allowed to sell square chocolate bars, the German justice ruled.
The Federal Court in Karlsruhe, the highest German court, considered that the square shape of the tablets was a distinctive sign of the Ritter Sport brand, which therefore retained its exclusivity. “For many years, the vast majority of consumers have associated the Ritter Sport brand with square wrapped chocolate – even though the bar is wrapped in white paper with no logo or lettering.”, defended the brand, cited by German media Spiegel.
10 years of litigation
This is the end of ten years of litigation between the Swiss chocolate maker, owned by the American Mondelez, and the American Ritter Sport, which will therefore remain the only one to sell tablets in this form.
It was in 1932 that Clara Ritter and her husband had the idea to develop this marketing argument driven by the idea that the tablet can be slipped into a pocket without breaking. In the 90s, seeing the success of its product, the brand, which became Ritter Sport, registered this format in order to ensure its exclusivity. Eager to exploit this concept, the Milka brand decides to challenge this legitimacy and takes legal action. To no avail, she was ultimately dismissed and will stick to the classic rectangular shape.
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