Owner of Love Is brand sues Moskovsky Kartofel over Valentine’s Day ad
Minikim Holland B.V., the Dutch company that owns the Love Is brand, has filed a lawsuit against Russian retail chain Magnit and Moskovsky Kartofel in an arbitration court in the Kaluga region, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported.
Dutch company Minikim Holland B.V. has initiated a lawsuit against Russian retail giant Magnit and its subsidiary Moskovsky Kartofel, according to a report by Kommersant, a Russian business daily. The legal action stems from a Valentine's Day promotion titled "Love in Every Pack" that ran from February 1 to March 31, coinciding with the February 14 holiday.
Minikim alleges that chip manufacturer Moskovsky Kartofel utilized packaging featuring an image of a boy and a girl, which is "confusingly similar" to a character from Minikim's copyrighted Love Is series. Neither Moskovsky Kartofel nor AO Tander, the operating entity behind Magnit, obtained a license to employ the protected material, according to Minikim Holland B.V.'s legal team.
The lawsuit marks one of over 20 cases Minikim has filed against Russian entities in the past two years, with courts generally ruling in favor of Minikim, stating that using elements of the Love Is series without the rights holder's permission constitutes infringement. Minikim had reportedly been open to settling the dispute with Moskovsky Kartofel, but the company refused to engage in resolution efforts.
The Love Is comic strips were initially created by New Zealand cartoonist Kim Casali in the 1960s, depicting her emotional journey with her future husband. First published in newspapers in 1970, the series gained widespread popularity, leading to the establishment of the Minikim corporation. In Russia, the Love Is brand is primarily associated with the gum inserts that bear its name.
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