Aldi Liable for ‘Flagrant’ Copyright Breach of Rival Brand’s Packaging, Australian Federal Court Finds
December 24, 2024 | 1 min to read
A judge has ruled that Aldi is liable for copyright infringement after using the designs of rival brand Baby Bellies for its children’s snack food packaging. The dispute arose when Aldi rebranded its Mamia product line, featuring a cartoon owl, which Hampden Holdings claimed copied their designs. This led to a legal battle over 11 product designs, highlighting the tension between competing brands within the children’s snack market.
Supermarket giant sought to use Baby Bellies’ designs for ‘its own commercial advantage’, judge says Supermarket giant Aldi has been found liable for copyright infringement over packaging for children’s snack foods that used a rival brand as a “benchmark” for its design.
Aldi – which once used the slogan “like brands, only cheaper” – launched a rebrand of a range of children’s snack food products including fruit-flavoured corn puffs under the Mamia brand in August 2021.
The packaging featured a cartoon owl smiling on the packaging above images of the food. In October, Hampden Holdings, the owner of a rival brand, Baby Bellies, sent the supermarket a letter alleging copyright infringement, ultimately leading to Hampden Holdings taking Aldi to court in relation to 11 product designs.
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