Diageo sues Sainsbury’s over ‘copycat’ Pimm’s drink

A Diageo spokeswoman confirmed that the company had “issued legal proceedings against Sainsbury’s in relation to an intellectual property matter”.

She said: “It would be inappropriate for us to comment further other than to say that Sainsbury’s is a valued customer of Diageo and we hope to continue to be so for many years.”

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said the company planned to “vigorously defend ourselves against these allegations”.

“Our customers are savvy enough to know exactly what they’re buying, the clue is in the name, and we see no basis for such a claim.”

Nina Best, an expert in advertising and marketing law at Midlands law firm Brown Jacobson believes this case could encourage other brands to take on big supermarkets.

Best added that Diageo’s actions may have been “influenced by the consumer protection regulations introduced last May which bans similar products which are packaged and marketed with the intention to mislead consumers”.

“Brand owners will be watching this space very closely indeed. If Diageo is successful it will certainly encourage others to come forward and protect the intellectual property of thier products,” she said.

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