Mars Inc. is a global manufacturer of many popular food products, especially candy. They are most known for their Twix and Snickers chocolate bars; Big Red, Orbit, and Doublemint gum; and Starburst and Skittles candies. Did you know that they also sold supplements?
Mars, Inc. sells CocoaVia daily cocoa extra supplements. In April, they filed a lawsuit against Syovata Edari claiming that the name of her company, CocoVaa, is “confusingly similar” to their supplement brand. “Vaa” was a nickname given to her as a child by her father. Mars, Inc. also claimed that the name will “confuse and deceive customers”. Edari responded that the suit is “trademark bullying”, and that her chocolates are different than the nutritional supplements that Mars sells.
Edari’s trademark registered on March 14th.
Last week, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit. A win for the underdog!
Written by: Teresa Nguyen