Cartoon cow sparks dairy law suit

Swedish dairy Skanemejerier wants rival dairy company Arla to pay one million Swedish kronor (€105,000) in fines over an illustrated cow which bears a close resemblance to the former’s own logo.

Skanemejerier claims that the cow on Arla’s Powercow milkshake product looks too similar to its own mascot, Kalvin the cow. In addition to the fine, Skanemejerier also wants Arla to pay damages and to “destroy or change all product packaging, signs, advertising material, websites, business documents or similar, which is included in the ban”.

Anders Svensson, the head of Arla in Sweden, speculates that the rival dairy has filed the suit because of Arla’s decision to launch its Powercow milkshake product in Sweden this year, noting that the product has been on sale in the Middle East for the last decade.