Nestlé sues Sara Lee in premium coffee battle

Nestlé is taking legal action against Sara Lee over alleged patent infringement of its premium capsule coffee brand Nespresso.

Nespresso campaign
Nespresso campaign

Due to the ongoing proceedings the company will not give details of the case, however Nestlé’s action relates to Sara Lee’s L’Or Espresso brand was launched last April in France.

Sara Lee denies infringing any patents. “We are confident that our product complies with all legal and regulatory requirements, and are confident about the outcome of this case,” the company says.

The US group says it is focused on making L’Or’s initial launch a success and believes the brand has “global potential”.

Nestlé has been gearing up to expand Nespresso beyond European markets, using both extensive advertising starring George Clooney and John Malkovich as well as an expanding chain of “coffee boutiques” to boost sales.

While Nespresso is sold mainly online, coffee capsules and makers are also available at the retail outlets.

This story first appeared on pitch

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