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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: dozens of boxes of British cereal to be destroyed in New Zealand | Weetabix wars: dozens of boxes of British cereal to be destroyed in New Zealand |
(about 5 hours later) | |
A British shop has breached the Trade Marks Act and 108 boxes of Weetabix held by customs in New Zealand must be destroyed, a judge has ruled. | |
A Little Bit of Britain will have to cover the labels of any boxes of Weetabix it sells from now on, the judge added, at the end of a trial that pitted the shop against the antipodean breakfast firm Sanitarium. | |
Customs officers in New Zealand seized and impounded the shipment of Weetabix last year after complaints from Sanitarium that shoppers could confuse the British cereal with its 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 serves 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 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. | |
“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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