UK Oatly-Takes over the UK

[shyvas]

This is fabulous news :

Oatly to open major plant-based dairy factory in Peterborough

Oatly has partnered with food and drink capital investment exprt, Integrated Food Projects, to create its first UK factory.

www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk

 

[Brian W]

This is bad news indeed. Oatly are a bunch of capitalist bullies who are now suing a small farm over nothing.

Oatly launches into legal dispute with Glebe Farm


Seriously - could "Pure Oaty" be mixed up with Oatly? Especially when the packaging looks like this?

 

[Brian W]

 

[Second Summer]

That does seem like they're just trying to shut down a potential competitor. Not cool. I would expect the case to be thrown out, but courts are not always particularly fair.

Still, Oatly products are really good, and the UK does need more manufacturing jobs.

 

[Brian W]

I think it will be neck and neck given the trademark details:

THE ORIGINAL OAT-LY! Trademark of Oatly AB - Registration Number 4766382 - Serial Number 79149710 :: Justia Trademarks

I am not buying their products anymore as there are other good brands available. If the thread on LinkedIn is anything to go by I am not alone.

 

[shyvas]

As a consumer, I would say that Glebe Farm's Pure Oaty and Oatly's brand names are very similar i.e Oaty and Oatly. However, the packaging is very different.
The former is a UK brand and Oatly is Swedish and is available in all major supermarkets. Glebe Farm's products don't seem to be available from supermarkets but smaller shops and online.

In my opinion, this court case is just giving a lot of publicity to the smaller brand that up to now seems to have been unknown for the majority of consumers. Hopefully, if Oatly wins the case, the competitor will only have to change the product's brand name.

Oatly products taste fabulous and I wish that they were available over here.

PureOaty taken to court by Oatly - Glebe Farm

As a British brand, and as a farming business, we are proud of what we stand for and have been achieving in the last 18 months in oat milk, alongside many years of oat milling and cereal production. But you may have seen coverage in the press about how we are being taken to court […]

www.glebefarmfoods.co.uk

Oatly speaks out:

Oatly Speaks Out Regarding the PureOaty Court Case - vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

Oatly gives comment regarding its court battle with UK farm Glebe Farm Foods over a trademark disagreement regarding its PureOaty brand

vegconomist.com

 

[Brian W]

I don't think the names are close enough and there is another brand called Oaty ( + something I can't remember) that Oatly are not touching, because they are not taking over that particular area of land, so this is pure fear of competition. Would you like it if you had a business in the UK for 18 months and then some giant Swedish corporation came over and told you you have to change your name?

 

[Brian W]

Oatly sues UK oat milk brand Glebe Farm over alleged trademark infringement

Public response​

Over the years, Oatly has built a plant-based cult following. The brand quickly became a household name and was commended for its efforts in making plant-based dairy products accessible.


Despite its reputation, people have condemned the plant-based brand for its recent legal actions. Many followers were surprised by the injunction, taking to social media claiming the brand is ‘bullying’ the independent business.

 

[shyvas]

I'm eager to know of the outcome of this court hearing. The Dairy Board must find it quite amusing that
two plant based milk companies are at war.
Anyway, at the end of the day, they are both getting a lot of publicity.

https://www.oatly.com/uploads/attachments/ckq0o0iu5013s9fgissoy2b5h-glebe-farm-skeleton-for-trial.pdf

 

[Daxx]

This is ludicrous, and this kind of nonsense drives me crazy. The products are blatantly not similar enough to warrant this bullying. I've contacted Oatly via their site to add to what I hope is a loud and growing voice suggesting they stop.

Oatly try to portray themselves as a bunch of crazy fun types trying to change the world. If this is how they behave in reality I hope I have the nuts to follow through on my threatened boycott, as much as I love their products.

 

[Daxx]

To summarise nice-guy Oatly's objections:

-"PureOaty" is too close to "Oatly".
-The packaging is too similar in style, specifically:
-texture overlay with white speckles.
-stylised coffee cup.
-use of words "barista"
-"shake me" in wobbly letters on the top.

"PureOaty" (it's not called "Oaty") is nothing like "Oatly"! And the packaging is nothing like Oatly's. Tha coffee cup is totally different, and nobody can claim a speckled overlay as their own. "Barista" is not Oatly's to claim either - I supect Costa would have something to say about that, and anyway, PureOaty says "Ideal for Barista Coffee", not "Barista Edition". I'll grant them that "Shake me" is the same, but it's not enough to warrant this nonsense.

Protecting your brand when it's being ripped-off is one thing, but I simply cannot see the issue here.

I've bought some PureOaty and it's nice in tea, and coffee especially. It's not fortified (hence the name), which may be a negative for some and a bonus for others.

The court's decision is due in July. I really hope they find in Glebe Farm's favour and Oatly apologise for this.

 

[shyvas]

Some interesting facts :

Oatly v. Glebe: Is The Now Public Alt Milk Pioneer Being Unreasonable? An IP Lawyer Answers All Your Questions

We wanted to know: does Oatly's lawsuit against a small-time oat milk brand have merit or is the food tech giant being unreasonable?

www.greenqueen.com.hk

 

[Daxx]

The decision on this was meant to be during July, but still nothing unless I missed it. Seeing the thread I started at the OatlyUK forum is a reassuring read—apart from the automaton replies from the Oatly staff that surely don't actually believe what they are paid to type.

Oatly are parroting this line: "We, unfortunately, did not receive a constructive response"

Translation: we told Glebe Farms to do what we say, and they didn't comply

It looks to me like they're trying to muddy the waters now. These products are blatantly not similar.

 

[Daxx]

O*tly loses it's trademark battle.

FANTASTIC! Finally some common sense.

A spokeswoman from O*tly's response:

She said Oatly wished Glebe Farm Foods "total success... moving forward", but added: "We just think they should do so in their own unique voice, just like we do."

Thankfully, or hopefully, O*tly's voice as a shark dressed in hippie's clothing is unique, or at least rare in this growing industry. Their stuff is great, but I can't buy it if they behave this way.