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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/25/weetabix-wars-british-shop-in-new-zealand-wins-fight-against-cereal-giant
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| Weetabix wars: British shop in New Zealand wins part of fight against cereal giant | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Antipodean breakfast giant Sanitarium has lost part of its case against a British shop in New Zealand, with a judge ruling that importing the British cereal Weetabix did not breach the Fair Trading Act. | |
| However, the high court did find that the shop, A Little Bit of Britain, had breached the Trade Marks Act and 108 boxes of Weetabix held by customs must be destroyed, RNZ reported. | However, the high court did find that the shop, A Little Bit of Britain, had breached the Trade Marks Act and 108 boxes of Weetabix held by customs must be destroyed, RNZ reported. |
| Further boxes of Weetabix for sale in the shop would have to have their labels covered , the judge ruled. | Further boxes of Weetabix for sale in the shop would have to have their labels covered , the judge ruled. |
| Last year customs officers in New Zealand seized and impounded a shipment of Weetabix after complaints from Sanitarium that the British cereal could confuse customers with their own product, Weet-Bix. | Last year customs officers in New Zealand seized and impounded a shipment of Weetabix after complaints from Sanitarium that the British cereal could confuse customers with their own product, Weet-Bix. |
| The pallet of Weetabix arrived in a container load of British goods destined for the shelves of A Little Bit of Britain grocery store in Christchurch, which largely caters to British expats. | The pallet of Weetabix arrived in a container load of British goods destined for the shelves of A Little Bit of Britain grocery store in Christchurch, which largely caters to British expats. |
| But Sanitarium claimed the cereal shipment of Weetabix infringed its trademark cereal Weet-Bix, which is a staple in many New Zealand homes. | But Sanitarium claimed the cereal shipment of Weetabix infringed its trademark cereal Weet-Bix, which is a staple in many New Zealand homes. |
| Sanitarium took its case to the high court but in a reserved decision on Tuesday, Justice Gendall found there was no chance of customers being confused because Weetabix cereal was only available at a speciality goods store selling British products. | Sanitarium took its case to the high court but in a reserved decision on Tuesday, Justice Gendall found there was no chance of customers being confused because Weetabix cereal was only available at a speciality goods store selling British products. |
| Lisa Wilson, the co-owner of A Little Bit of Britain accused Sanitarium of “bullying” her small, family-run business. | Lisa Wilson, the co-owner of A Little Bit of Britain accused Sanitarium of “bullying” her small, family-run business. |
| “They are trying to force us to do what they want because they are a multimillion-dollar company.” | “They are trying to force us to do what they want because they are a multimillion-dollar company.” |
| Other British goods stores in the North Island have complied with Sanitarium’s demands to cover up the Weetabix label when they sell the product. | Other British goods stores in the North Island have complied with Sanitarium’s demands to cover up the Weetabix label when they sell the product. |
| Wilson said her grocery store sold about seven boxes of Weetabix a day to mostly British immigrants. She said the look, taste and packaging of Weet-Bix and Weetabix were completely different and could not be easily confused. | Wilson said her grocery store sold about seven boxes of Weetabix a day to mostly British immigrants. She said the look, taste and packaging of Weet-Bix and Weetabix were completely different and could not be easily confused. |
| The detained shipment of Weetabix drew scorn from British expats and New Zealanders alike, some of whom said they would start boycotting Sanitarium’s products in New Zealand. The hashtag #freetheweetabix was also widely shared among supporters. | The detained shipment of Weetabix drew scorn from British expats and New Zealanders alike, some of whom said they would start boycotting Sanitarium’s products in New Zealand. The hashtag #freetheweetabix was also widely shared among supporters. |
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