Branding and breaching copyright examples

The founder of family sausage firm Heck has accused Aldi of copying his bangers.

Andrew Keeble, a former Yorkshire pig farmer, said he had politely asked Aldi to drop its Italian-style chicken chipolatas.

He suggested the packaging is similar to Heck's Chicken Italia sausages – but received a threatening legal letter in response.

Bad taste: Andrew Keeble, a former Yorkshire pig farmer, said he had politely asked Aldi to drop its Italian-style chicken chipolatas.

He is now considering taking the discounter to court.

In a letter to trade magazine The Grocer, the 52-year-old said: 'We are a small family business that has invested time and substantial cash in developing the UK's number one brand.

Why should we stand by and watch these cowboys sell a lookalike pack to their customers?'
An Aldi spokesman said: 'The branding and colours used on this packaging are consistent with the wider Ashfield Farm range.

SEEING DOUBLE

Our Bargain Hunter puts the best
Aldi and Lidl lookalike products to the test

Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl are renowned for stocking
their own brand products in very similar packaging to posher branded ones.

But do they taste the same?HAVE you ever been pushing your shopping trolley down the aisles of Aldi and Lidl when you thought you'd spotted your favourite branded biscuits for a bargain price?

Only they're not actually Oreos but a packet of Borneo biscuits instead.
The similar logo and blue and white packaging nearly had you fooled.

Brands aren't allowed to copy each other's marketing, but it's a sneaky tactic
often used to get shoppers to choose the cheaper version over the branded ones.

Retailers can get in real trouble if they're caught doing it.
Poundland were forced to pull their Toblerone copycat Twin Peaks bars after
chocolatiers Mondelez launched a legal battle against them.

Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl have been doing this for some time now, in the hope that you'll opt for the cheaper version because they look the same - but do they actually taste the same?
When you buy the cheaper one, are you actually sacrificing the taste of your
favourite goodies? Or are the branded ones actually overpricing their food?

Look-a-like products can be found in every aisle at Aldi and Lidl - some coming pretty close to the real deal. We found some of the best ones and put them to the test in a blind taste challenge.
Oh, and I took on the terrible task of tasting them all too... Check out what we thought below.


There wasn't a lot of difference in the taste of these ones - which is good really because the packaging looks almost identical

These two packets are almost identical - you could easily mistake the knock off ones as the real deal.

Both packets contain seven bags of baked, cheesy crackers - and the Snaktastic ones have even opted for the same colour scheme.


Did you know, McVitie never trademarked the name "Jaffa cakes"? That's why other brands, like Sondey at Lidl, can get away with naming their version the same.

The cakes were named after the Jaffa orange which is used to make the jelly in the middle.
The blue packaging with the orange font on the cheaper ones from Lidl is strangely familiar...

Oreo or Neo? It's easy to see where the budget brand took inspiration from

Okay, so these aren't as similar as some of the other ones we found, but there's no denying what the Neo biscuits are inspired by.

Unlike Oreos, the box of Neo biscuits come in snack packets of five, so you'll get more for your money with the ones from Lidl.

But when it comes to taste, there's not a lot in it.

At least in this one the budget bars have opted for a different colour scheme but you can see how similar the shape of the bars are

They might have gone for a different colour scheme but judging by the packaging, the hazelnut bars look very similar to family favourites Kinder Buenos.


Lidl's Mister Choc Bellona bars come in blue packaging but the bars are almost the same shape, although the cheaper ones are drizzled in white chocolate rather than dark.


You get more bags of crisps in the Quavers bag - but when it comes to taste the Cheese Curls aren't too bad

Glance at these packets quickly and you'd easily mistake them for the same thing. Yellow packaging, curly writing... there's no shying away from what brand Aldi are trying to look like.


You get more individual packets in a Quavers bag but for half the price you'll get 10 packets of Cheese Curls.


The budget cream crackers have been packaged in the same orange and black plastic

When it comes to cheese, you've got to have a decent cracker and normally you'll probably reach for the Jacob's cream crackers.

The packaging is almost identical

They might be different flavours but the granola bars' packaging is pretty similar


Granola breakfast bars are a tasty snack when you're on the go - and Nature Valley is often the go-to branded version.

But look at these Aldi bars. They've been packaged in a similar green box, both featuring photos of what the bars inside look like which are pretty samey too.
At a glance you could mistake these mini egg lookalikes for the real deal
It feels like Aldi isn't even pretending to be different when it comes to these chocolate treats. Yellow packaging? Check. Purple bubble writing? Check. Token bunny? Check.


Branded chocolate has a particular kind of taste. Remember when Kraft silently changed the Dairy Milk recipe? We knew straightaway.


Both Battenberg cakes are packaged in a pale pink cardboard casing before being sealed in plastic


Even though the pale pink packaging is pretty similar, you can see that you get less cake per serving with the budget one.
Mr Kipling doesn't own the trademark for the pink and yellow cake so any brand can call their product a Battenberg.


Can you spot the difference between these seashell shaped choccies?

When shopping for these choccies I had to do a double take. I couldn't believe Aldi was selling the posh treats for such a bargain price - until I realised that they weren't Guylian.