A “hot-tempered” Intellectual Property (IP) dispute which emerged after boutique confectioner Hotel Chocolat accused supermarket chain Waitrose of ‘imitating’ one of its flagship products has promptly drawn to a close.
Back in May, the Hertfordshire-headquartered chocolatier claimed that Waitrose had infringed its iconic ‘chocolate slab’ design, which is registered EU-wide.
The complaint came after the popular supermarket began selling a new range of chocolate bars which arguably had a similar appearance to Hotel Chocolat’s signature ‘slabs’.
The new products, which were sold in ‘Waitrose’ packaging and priced significantly lower than the chocolatier’s luxury-oriented ‘slabs’, quickly attracted the attention of Hotel Chocolat – which promptly issued a legal threat.
At the time, a spokesperson on behalf of Waitrose insisted that the company was “confident” it had not infringed any of Hotel Chocolat’s designs, while Hotel Chocolat bosses said that the supermarket had “crossed the line.”
The Guardian described the escalating row as “a hot-tempered dispute between rival factions of posh chocolatiers,” while separate reports suggested that a “protracted” Court battle might be on the horizon.
However, in recent days, it has emerged that Waitrose has backed down from the fight, after agreeing to stop making its rival chocolate bars altogether, a report in Real Business reveals.
Commentators have said that the case, which saw Hotel Chocolat use its EU-wide registered design rights as leverage to promptly ward-off an imitator, is a testament to the importance of businesses having the foresight to register the shape and appearance of their unique products at the earliest possible opportunity.