Filed under: Litigation

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Busch loses bid to trademark Bud across Europe

From the Wall Street Journal | Europe’s highest court has ruled that Anheuser-BuschInBev cannot get a trademark for the Budweiser brand across the continent.

Colgate sues to use “nurdle” on toothpaste

In a battle between two big toothpaste makers, Colgate-Palmolive Co. sued GlaxoSmithKline Plc Thursday, seeking a court order that its use of the “Triple Action” tagline and a three-stripe “nurdle” does not infringe the latter’s trademarks.

Colgate said it is concerned that Glaxo, which makes Aquafresh toothpaste, might sue over its use of the nurdle, given that the British company recently filed a trademark application that covers its design. Get the full story »

Judge removed from drug case during trial

By Ameet Sachdev and Ray Gibson | In an extraordinary maneuver, the federal appeals court in Chicago removed a judge from an ongoing criminal trial after ruling that he had made an error in the case.

The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals did not give an explanation in its Tuesday order, which dismissed U.S. District Judge James Holderman from the jury trial of a man facing drug charges. The court said it would follow up with an opinion.

The lack of explanation left court watchers wondering what Holderman did to incite such a harsh penalty. The appellate court reverse judges all the time. But removing one in the middle of a trial may be unprecedented. Get the full story »

English muffin secrets safe at Thomas’ for now

Nooks and crannies and Twinkies don’t go together, at least not just yet.

A federal appeals court has upheld an injunction blocking one of only seven people who know the recipe for Thomas’ English Muffins from jumping to a rival.

Tuesday’s ruling by the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia lets Grupo Bimbo SAB, a Mexican food company that owns the Thomas’ brand, continue blocking Chris Botticella from jumping to rival Hostess Brands Inc. Get the full story »