Mondelez sues Aldi for ‘blatant copying’

Mondelez International has sued discounter Aldi over some of its private label packaging in the United Sates, stating it bears a misleading resemblance to that of Oreos and Chips Ahoy, among others. The manufacturer is claiming damages and demands a ban.

Damages and ban

The snack manufacturer has filed a lawsuit against Aldi in Illinois, claiming the discounter “blatantly copies” the packaging of its biscuits and crackers. The multinational claims this misleads customers and threatens to cause irreparable damage to its brands, and is therefore seeking damages and an injunction banning Aldi from selling any more products that infringe on its brand rights, US media report.

This is not the first time private brands seek “similarity” to well-known brands in their packaging design. Last year, Lidl made headlines in the Benelux with Freeway soft drink packaging that strongly referred to Coca-Cola and Fanta, but this did not come to a lawsuit. In 2015, AB InBev did Aldi take to court because it claimed the red cans of Aldi’s private label Buval were too similar to those of its lager brand Jupiler. In 2018, however, the appeal court cleared the discounter of any wrongdoing.