Choc giant heavies ‘kinder’ charity

Ferrero snatches candy from baby

By Lester Haines • Get more from this author

Posted in Music and Media, 27th December 2000 13:04 GMT

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When chocolate giant Ferrero came up with the Kinder Surprise egg, they were on to a winner. The combination of cocoa powder and plastic toy is guaranteed to sent any child running uncontrollably around the living room with excitement.

It's unsurprising, then, that Ferrero wants to protect its brand in cyberspace, as Austrian kids' charity kinder.at recently discovered.

Concerned that the organisation has taken the little-known German word kinder (children) as its domain name, Ferrero has run whining to WIPO. Fair enough. After all, it's not just about intellectual property. Rich companies own the language too.

So, were I the owner of kinderegg.co.uk, I'd hand it over before the writs start flying. ®

Bootnote

This is not the first time Ferrero has thrown its money around to disastrous effect. For eight years it ran the 'Ambassador's Party' television ads - a preposterous scenario where some dickie-bowed flunkey offered a pyramid of Ferrero Rocher chocs to the eponymous party-thrower's snotty guests. Widely regarded as among the worst adverts ever made, it has achieved legendary status.

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