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March 22, 2005
What's Wrong With This Picture?
Yesterday I bought this soda at Netto. Thanks to Netto, there's been a big price war among the grocery chains in my neighborhood of Kungsholmen. Near Fridhemsplan there are two ICAs, one Coop, one Vi and, starting some months back, a Netto. Two other Netto stores opened in Stockholm as well and this Danish-owned giant made its competitors scramble to catch up. ICA had a national TV campaign to promote supposedly sweeping price cuts that took place March 7, good news for all of us who eat. So I'm not down on the Netto concept (for the moment, at least, the company doesn't appear to be locking in its cleaning people).
But it's slimy that Netto is peddling a knock-off cola that looks so much like Coca-Cola without being Coca-Cola. (The text reads, "Original American Taste, Original Cola Classic.") According to the can, Danish brewer Harboe produces this soda specifically for Netto. The cola that Harboe markets to its other customers is not such an obvious copy.
My husband (thanks for the pic) and I have a friendly disagreement about the legality of this practice. Since neither one of us is a patent or trademark attorney, we're happy to devote hours to debating stuff we're in no position to actually judge. But if the package design above isn't illegal, it should be. The design is a clear effort to piggyback on the success of Coca-Cola's brand in Europe and elsewhere. That's wrong and it should stop.
In other news, what the hell happened yesterday? I mean, 1500 words? For free? On a blog?? Sorry about that.
Posted by Deborah Branscum at March 22, 2005 10:43 AM