Once upon a time there were the red Lindor balls, one of the most popular products of the chocolate giant Lindt & Sprüngli, launched for the first time in 1969, as well as one of the best-selling references in Switzerland, especially during this Christmas holiday season. Too bad that one fine day (September 2nd to be precise), a large and rapidly expanding discount chain called Aldi started selling in its Swiss stores and online chocolate balls of the Moser Roth brand, presented as a “Christmas edition”.
The aforementioned balls, in the flavors “Nuss Mandel” and “Knusper Nugat”, in particular, are wrapped in red or blue wrapping paper, as in the case of the Lindor ones. The packaging is also very similar. It is therefore not surprising that the chocolate manufacturer has filed a complaint against the discounter to protect one of its flagship products.
As the Aargauer Zeitung reports, Lindt & Sprüngli notified Aldi in a letter dated December 3, 2024, of the distribution of the red and blue Moser-Roth balls in Switzerland, interpreting this as a violation of a protected trademark and the law against unfair competition. For its part, Aldi denied the allegations in a letter dated December 6, 2024. Lindt & Sprüngli then applied to the Aargau Commercial Court to prevent Aldi from advertising, distributing or selling the chocolate balls. On December 13, the President of the Commercial Court proposed a conciliation discussion, which, of course, ended without an agreement.
The next day, the court heard the case and ruled in favor of Lindt & Sprüngli. The “packaging of the Moser-Roth balls is objectively and strongly inspired by Lindor balls,” reads the court’s decision of December 14, as the Aargauer Zeitung explains. There is, in fact, “a risk of association with Lindor balls in future purchases.”
Due to this decision, Aldi is currently not allowed to sell Moser-Roth balls. Lindt & Sprüngli has until March 13 to file an ordinary complaint against Aldi. Otherwise, the ban will be lifted.
