After several years of legal disputes, the confectionery manufacturer Haribo is granted a patent in Denmark for its colorful gummy bears.
Rigo Trading, which holds the rights to the brand's products, is granted a patent for the appearance of the gummy bears following a decision by Østre Landsret, the equivalent of Sweden's courts of appeal in eastern Denmark.
The German-owned confectionery manufacturer has been selling the candy in its current form in Denmark since 1978.
The application for a patent has previously been rejected by several other judicial authorities in the country. But Østre Landsret believes that the so-called "Goldbears" should be protected from being copied and this should not be prevented by the fact that other manufacturers have produced similar gummy bears over the years.
