Thatchers sues over ‘copycat’ cider

THATCHERS Cider has become the latest firm to sue supermarket chain Aldi for allegedly copying a product - with a court claim that Aldi’s ‘Taurus Cloudy Cider Lemon’ is a rip-off of Thatcher’s Cloudy Lemon Cider.

The family cider firm, based at Sandford, near Bristol, has lodged papers with the High Court in London asking for an injunction which stops Aldi from selling its Taurus lemon cider brand, and asking for at least half a million pounds in damages,

The Grocer has reported.

Thatchers say the Germanowned supermarket has ‘intentionally mimicked’ its cloudy lemon cider, which has been a huge hit since it was launched by the North Somerset cidermaker a couple of years ago.

In the court papers seen by The Grocer, Thatchers claim Aldi has taken ‘unfair advantage’ of its brand reputation.

“The defendant, by its use of the graphics on the Aldi product, seeks to ride on the coattails of the substantial reputation of the trademark in order to benefit from its power of attraction, fame, and/or prestige, and to exploit the marketing effort expended by the claimant,” the court papers say.

It’s not the first time a major brand has taken Aldi to court for copying their products. Last year, Aldi settled out of court with M&S in a dispute brought by M&S claiming Aldi had copied its caterpillar cakes too closely. Aldi has not commented.