Strong brands are a powerful weapon in a company's armoury, and when new rules emerged in the 1990s allowing colours to be registered as a trademark, the fight for brand recognition stepped up a gear, encapsulated in the ongoing case in Australia that sees confectionery giant Cadbury defending the colour purple.
In April this year, Cadbury lost the latest round in a protracted legal battle that has pitched the UK confectioner against Australian chocolate maker Darrell Lea over the use of the colour purple.
The Federal Court of Australia ruled that Darrell Lea had not 'passed off' its products as those of Cadbury's, or breached the Trade Practices Act by selling chocolates in purple packaging. More on this story
