Aldi emerged victorious from a high court trademark battle with Thatchers, the cider company, after it was accused of copying its cloudy lemon products.
Both companies became locked in a dispute in November over the alleged similarity of Aldi’s ‘Taurus Cloudy Cider Lemon’ and Thatchers’ ‘Cloudy Lemon Cider’.
Aldi's product Source: The Grocer
Thatchers' cider Source: The Grocer
A high court judge, who took part in a blind taste test, ruled there was a “low degree of similarity” between the two products.
An Aldi spokesperson said in a statement: “There’s nothing cloudy about this judgement. It’s clear-cut. Aldi exclusive brands are just that: exclusive to Aldi while leading the market on quality and price.”
In November, the Somerset brewer contended that Aldi's Taurus cider not only replicated the appearance but also the taste of its product, providing an unfair advantage to the discount retailer.
This isn’t Aldi’s first experience in the courtroom, earlier in 2023, it lost a case against Marks & Spencer over similarities in its gin products.
Aldi also battled with M&S over chocolate cake Cuthbert the Caterpillar, which was accused of being a copycat of Colin the Caterpillar.
However, this case was settled out of court in 2022 and Cuthbert returned to supermarket shelves after a few tweaks.