A Federal High Court sitting in Kano is the arena where a legal battle is raging between the Coca-Cola company and Mamuda Beverages, makers of Pop-Cola drinks.
Reports have it that the two companies are at loggerheads due to similar trademark logo.
Coca-cola had taken Pop Cola to court over alleged theft of its product identity, a development which is capable of causing confusion among its customers.
Coca-Cola had accused Mamuda of using a ‘ribbon device’ trademark similar to its ‘dynamic ribbon device’ trademark and also of presenting its Pop-cola product in a script related and similar to the Coca-cola trademark, hence causing confusion.
Coca-cola further told the court that it has sole ownership of the trademarks “Coca-Cola” as well as the Dynamic Ribbon device both in Nigeria and overseas, with Trade Mark Nos: 71808 and 26655.
The bottling company is seeking an order to restrain the defendant from using the ‘Ribbon device’ and the special script in which the ‘Pop-cola’ is being represented.
In response to the complaint, counsel to Mamuda Beverages Nigeria limited, Offiong Offiong, argued that under trademark law one can only register a word not an alphabet, noting that the letter ‘C’ in Cola is an alphabet not a word.
However, the raging battle seem poised to continue into the new year as the case has been adjourned till January 31, 2022.
