Aldi rip off/copies....how do they get away with it ?

[Dave7]

We are all aware of eg Aldi baked beans etc. IMO that is fine.....some are tasty, some not.
What amazes me is the 'packaging' which is such an obvious copy/rip off.
As an example.....I enjoy Aldi's hot salsa dip, very yummy.
T'other day my daughter bought me a jar of Doritos (were they the original?). I couldn't believe it.....the only difference is the brand name ie jar size, label colouring, style of lettering etc is virtually identical.
Its all so blatant.....how do they get away with it?

 

[Cycleops]

Been going on for a long time and I'm sure most people are aware. This might interest you:

https://www.citma.org.uk/resources/...-get-away-with-lookalike-own-brands-blog.html

 

[Alex321]

It is different enough that it doesn't infringe trademarks in the country of manufacture.

 

[MontyVeda]

sometimes they don't.
The Jive bar switched to a beige wrapper because the previous gold was too similar to a Twix.
M&S went to court over a caterpillar cake, and lost, i think?
Punk turned the tables and created the ALD IPA which mimicked Aldi's branding.

I guess it depends on whether a brand can be bothered pulling them up about mimicking their products?

 

[Gwylan]

We are all aware of eg Aldi baked beans etc. IMO that is fine.....some are tasty, some not.
What amazes me is the 'packaging' which is such an obvious copy/rip off.
As an example.....I enjoy Aldi's hot salsa dip, very yummy.
T'other day my daughter bought me a jar of Doritos (were they the original?). I couldn't believe it.....the only difference is the brand name ie jar size, label colouring, style of lettering etc is virtually identical.
Its all so blatant.....how do they get away with it?

More and better lawyers and cheek.

 

[Beebo]

They flirt with what is acceptable..
its pretty cynical marketing IMO. And is freeloading off the back of others good name.

 

[Dave7]

Been going on for a long time and I'm sure most people are aware. This might interest you:

https://www.citma.org.uk/resources/...-get-away-with-lookalike-own-brands-blog.html

Very interesting that, thanks.

 

[cougie uk]

I know they use similar packaging but you'd have to be pretty dumb to mistake one for the other.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I'm guessing that if a named brand can prove they are losing money to an immitation product, then it's in their interest to take them to court. There must be a trade-ff between how much they think they're losing, and how much court costs would be. @cougie uk I don't think the issue is mistaking one product for another, it's more about the rip-off product using design identifiers to suggest to a customer that the taste/quality is the same as the branded product, but at a cheaper price

 

[ianrauk]

And is freeloading off the back of others good name.

And more power to them for doing so. Name brands have been ripping off the general public for years.

 

[icowden]

M&S went to court over a caterpillar cake, and lost, i think?

They didn't lose. They chose to reach a settlement with Aldi which involved Aldi making changes to their Cuthbert cake. They are still in dispute about Aldi's knock off of their Christmas light up Gin bottles. Aldi also rubbed some er... cake in the wound:-

https://x.com/AldiUK/status/1651904233879359491?s=20

 

[MontyVeda]

They didn't lose. They chose to reach a settlement with Aldi which involved Aldi making changes to their Cuthbert cake. They are still in dispute about Aldi's knock off of their Christmas light up Gin bottles.

not sure what changes they've made to Cuthbert... it looks like it always did, unless they've just put fewer smarties on it.

I'm guessing that if a named brand can prove they are losing money to an immitation product, then it's in their interest to take them to court. There must be a trade-ff between how much they think they're losing, and how much court costs would be. @cougie uk I don't think the issue is mistaking one product for another, it's more about the rip-off product using design identifiers to suggest to a customer that the taste/quality is the same as the branded product, but at a cheaper price

sometimes they come out of the same factory as well known branded products... so it can be the exact same product at a cheaper price.

 

[13 rider]

Did M and S go to court over Colin the Caterpillar cake

 

[Beebo]

And more power to them for doing so. Name brands have been ripping off the general public for years.

The big brands have spent loads of money to get brand recognition and a market share.
No one is made to buy branded goods and I have no issue with own brand products but I can see why the big brands would be annoyed at the copy cat products.

 

[oldwheels]

At one time in my life I had a small manufacturing business making what at that time was a unique product. Nobody was doing the same as us so far as I knew but soon a few popped up to compete for business.
We were able to outperform them on price so we did not lose much business but it was a bit annoying all the same that our ideas were being blatantly copied.
Not worth taking legal action.