Aldi and Icelandic Seachill have reached an out-of-court settlement in their legal dispute over a ’copycat’ version of The Saucy Fish Co.

The companies said a deal had been reached in advance of a scheduled court hearing but declined to give further details, citing a confidentiality agreement.

Icelandic Seachill secured an interim injunction against Aldi’s Saucy Salmon product in March, claiming its branding and packaging was “confusingly similar” to that of The Saucy Fish Co.

“We have reached a settlement in advance of the scheduled court hearing, and this settlement order has been duly recorded and sealed by the court,” Icelandic Seachill MD Simon Smith said.

“Both parties have agreed that the terms of the settlement are confidential, and I would be in breach/contempt of the court order were I to say any more,” he added. “My only comment is that I am very happy with the outcome of this action.”

A spokesman for Aldi also stressed the terms of the settlement were confidential.  “Legal action in this matter has been discontinued and the order for injunction has been discharged by the court,” he added. ”Aldi has not been ordered to pay any legal costs for either of these stages.”

‘Confusingly similar’

At the time of the injunction, Icelandic argued Saucy Salmon was “confusingly similar” to The Saucy Fish Co and infringed its trademark. Like The Saucy Fish Co, Saucy Salmon came in black packaging with a cardboard sleeve to the left of the pack featuring a cut-out fish shape. The sauces were also similar, with Aldi offering crème fraiche & watercress sauce, and chilli, lime & ginger sauce, while Saucy Fish Co has watercress & crème fraiche dressing, and chilli, lime & ginger dressing.

“Aldi’s imitation undermines the trust and confidence consumers have built with us,” Smith said at the time. “Our brand represents a promise of consistency, not easily replicable by packaging alone.”

According to Icelandic, Saucy Salmon was on sale at £2.99, while Saucy Fish Co products have a £4.50 rsp.

For its part, Aldi said at the time that Saucy Salmon was a trial product that had already been removed from sale.

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