The plant-based drink maker can no longer use the term 'milk' to market its products.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/43030335

Plant-based drink maker Oatly has lost a long-running legal battle over its use of the word “milk” in its marketing.

The Swedish company tried to trademark the slogan “post-milk generation” in the UK in 2021 but Dairy UK, the representative body for British dairy farmers, objected.

Following rulings in several courts, the UK Supreme Court on Wednesday said Oatly could neither trademark nor use the phrase “post-milk generation”.

The long-running dispute has centred on Dairy UK’s argument that, under trademark law, the term “milk” can only be used to refer to products that come from an animal.

  • cannibalkitteh@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    61·
    3 hours ago

    Really though, do they have to call it milk? I mean what even is plant based milk? It isn’t milk. Are they that afraid of people knowing what they’re getting that they can’t call it what it is or give it a friendly name that doesn’t mean something it’s not?

    Nobody particularly wants to have to come up with branding because the dairy lobby are assholes.