Lindt wins imitation case against Aldi

A Swiss judge has sided with chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli in its case against Aldi: the discounter sold chocolate balls in Switzerland that were too similar to Lindt’s well-known Lindor chocolates.

“Objective resemblance”

Aldi sold the chocolate balls under its (private label) brand name ‘Moser Roth’, but the commercial court of the canton of Aargau has now decided that they are an unauthorised imitation of Lindt’s Lindor balls, following a complaint by the chocolate manufacturer. Aldi is no longer allowed to sell the product, Lebensmittel Zeitung reports.

The discounter had been selling the chocolates as a Christmas special, both online and in its physical shops, since September. While there are clear differences between the original product and the private label imitation, the overall impression is one of “objective similarity to the Lindor balls”, the court ruled.

This is not the first time Lindt has sued a retailer for imitation: in 2022, the manufacturer won a similar case against Lidl, about its chocolate Easter bunnies in a gold wrapper.