Category: Other Global
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ITC Rejects Patent-Packaging Infringement Claim Against Liquor and Wine Importers
In the first investigation subject to a pilot program, the International Trade Commission (ITC) has agreed with an administrative law judge (ALJ) that a company alleging infringement of its patents for laminated packaging by the importers of liquor, wine, toys, electronics, and cosmetics failed to show that it had a domestic industry that would be…
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Australian Court Rules “Free to Roam” Chicken Producer Claims False
A federal court in Australia has determined that processors advertising their chickens as “free to roam” on packaging and in advertisements and publications were liable to mislead the public as to the nature and characteristics of the product. Australian Competition & Consumer Comm’n v. Turi Foods Pty. Ltd., (No. 4) [2013] FCA 665 (Fed. Ct.…
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False Ad Suits Filed in Israel Against Yogurt Makers
According to a news source, putative class actions have been filed against Strauss Group Ltd. and Tnuva Food Industries Ltd., alleging that their yogurt products, marketed as “yogurt with granola nuts” and “yogurt with granola fruit, “ respectively, mislead consumers because they contain so little nuts or fruit. Seeking NIS 72 million (US$17.8 million) from…
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Australian Court Finds KFC Liable for Injury Caused by Salmonella-Tainted Chicken
An Australian court has reportedly awarded $8 million to the family of a girl who allegedly ate a Salmonella-contaminated chicken product from a KFC restaurant and became critically ill with organ system failures, septic shock, severe brain injury, and spastic quadriplegia. Samaan v. Kentucky Fried Chicken Pty Ltd., No. 2006/20457 (NSW Sup. Ct., decided April…
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Eleventh Circuit Refuses to Recognize Nicaraguan Court Judgment for Banana Workers
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a district court ruling finding that a $97 million judgment entered by a Nicaraguan court to compensate 150 Nicaraguan agricultural workers for injuries allegedly caused by workplace exposure to a pesticide is unenforceable under Florida law. Osorio v. Dow Chem. Co., No. 10-11143 (11th Cir., decided March…
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Brazilian Court Orders McDonald’s to Compensate Former Manager for Weight Gain
According to a news source, a Brazilian judge has ordered McDonald’s Corp. to pay one of its former franchise managers US$17,500 because he gained 65 pounds over the 12 years he worked for the company. He reportedly claimed that he was required to sample all of the restaurant’s foods everyday to ensure their quality, and…
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Chinese Officials Arrest Dairy Personnel in New Melamine Contamination Scandal
After Chinese food safety authorities recently found milk powder laced with melamine, police have reportedly arrested three officials from the Dongyuan Dairy Factory in Qinghai province and three dairy suppliers from Hebei province. Another 41 suspects have apparently been detained. More than 225 tons of contaminated milk powder have been seized, and authorities believe it…
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Russian Court Favors Development Fund in Land Dispute, Rare Fruits and Berries May Be Destroyed
A Russian court has reportedly given the green light to a housing development agency to build houses on a field where thousands of rare berries and other fruits have been preserved since the 1920s. The Pavlovsk Experimental Station, located near St. Petersburg, was apparently developed to serve as an historic gene bank. Scientists over the…