Lidl has accused Tesco of copying its logo to “ride on the coat-tails” of its reputation as a discounter.
In a High Court dispute, Lidl has claimed Tesco’s Clubcard Prices logo, featuring a solid yellow circle on a blue background, is too similar to its own.
Lidl has argued the yellow and blue design forms “wordless” trademark, according to details of the case first reported by The Telegraph.
As evidence, the discounter has presented findings from a survey in which “numerous” responses identified a connection between the background alone and Lidl.
Tesco uses its Clubcard logo in stores to highlight prices only available to members of its loyalty scheme.
Lidl wants to ban the supermarket from using the symbol. It claims it is “seeking deliberately to ride on the coat-tails of Lidl’s reputation as a discounter supermarket known for the provision of value”.
Tesco has claimed the “wordless mark” is “a figment of Lidl’s legal imagination”.
The legal action was launched last year, with Lidl claiming Tesco was infringing its trademark.
At an interim hearing on Monday, the High Court rejected an argument from Tesco that Lidl’s survey findings should be inadmissible. The case is now set to proceed to trial.
“We deny and are strongly defending this claim,” said a Tesco spokesman. “The trial will not take place until next year and we remain very confident of our position.”
Lidl did not provide a comment.
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