A clash over a brand name has seen small French ice-cream and frozen dessert maker Dagniaux take Danone to court.
Dagniaux has begun legal action over Danone’s Danio yoghurt, which the food giant launched in France at the start of the year. Dagniaux and Danio are pronounced the same way in French.
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Speaking on French TV station, France 2, CEO Sébastien Van de Velde, said: “We are not an industrial-scale firm but a small, master dessert maker. I don’t want to be associated with a yoghurt.”
He said the name clash had created confusion in the market and two retail customers had requested Dagniaux change the name of its products.
“We have lost an order for almost 137,000 Christmas logs. This phonetic resemblance is starting to become an issue and it is easier to withdraw the small guy than the big one.”
No-one was immediately available to comment at Danone. However, the TV report quoted a spokesperson, who said: “It’s out of the question that we renounce the [Danio] brand name. The sole resemblance is phonetic. We are all for discussions taking place in a peaceful atmosphere.”
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By GlobalDataA spokesman for Dagniaux told just-food the company’s legal process against Danone to have the Danio name removed was underway.
