Saturnbird Coffee Wins Lawsuit Against Copycats! Instant Coffee Brand Protects Original Packaging Design

Recently, domestic media reported that SATURNBIRD spent 20 months pursuing a lawsuit against a coffee brand called "Colorful Mystery" for unauthorized use of a packaging appearance similar to SATURNBIRD's small-cup instant coffee, amounting to unfair competition.

In the end, the Intermediate People's Court of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province ordered the "Colorful Mystery" brand to compensate SATURNBIRD 1.73 million yuan for economic losses and reasonable expenses, and to cease production and sales of the infringing products.

Many young consumers first became aware of SATURNBIRD through its product design — super-soluble coffee, minimalist packaging, a miniature coffee-cup shape, and a strong visual impact from color. On launch, it quickly became popular among young consumers.

Because the design was novel and the environmentally friendly packaging naturally carried a "Hey! Keep me for DIY" appeal, consumers were encouraged to keep the packaging and transform it into small potted plants, decorative pendants, and more, sharing the results across social media and drawing even more young users to the brand.

Since launch, SATURNBIRD swept social media with its high photogenic quality, and more coffee brands followed with similar-style packaging. In recent years the small-cup design has been endlessly discussed, analyzed, imitated, and even copied within the industry.

Why This Particular Lawsuit?

With so many brands using similar designs, why did SATURNBIRD sue a relatively unknown one? Because this went beyond simple inspiration.

According to infringement evidence SATURNBIRD provided to the media, the "Colorful Mystery" brand showed significant similarity to SATURNBIRD's products in product style, packaging design, promotional images, and content.

Even in product search terms, keywords such as "SATURNBIRD alternative" were added, so that users searching for SATURNBIRD would see this brand's products. Similar styling and appearance conveyed misleading information and caused consumer confusion.

As a result, on December 29, 2020, SATURNBIRD began legal proceedings against "Colorful Mystery" to protect its rights, leading to the final judgment on September 2nd this year.

The Challenge of Protecting Intellectual Property

Because there is no legal definition distinguishing plagiarism from imitation or reference, when original products meet similar products from other brands, owners often endure the situation, since rights protection is time-consuming and costly. Awareness of and emphasis on intellectual property protection in the food industry is consequently weak.

Low imitation cost and high traffic gains have made copying the popular designs of major brands a starting point for many smaller players. Whether you search for "coffee beans" or "instant coffee," the packaging layouts across brands look strikingly alike, and product homogenization has grown increasingly severe.

Directly copying the main elements is called plagiarism, while analyzing the main elements and flexibly applying their key aspects is called inspiration. As the phenomenon becomes more common, the line between the two has blurred, making the path to rights protection harder for original creators.

Protecting Original Design

So when a design is truly original, designers need to apply for copyright, patents, or exclusive trademark rights before putting it into use and production. That way, when necessary, rights can be pursued directly on the basis of intellectual property.

If such protections haven't been secured but another brand's promotional materials do cause consumer confusion, rights can still be protected under the "imitation and confusion" provisions of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law.

There have been similar cases before, such as ChaYanYueSe suing ChaYanGuanSe, which became a trending topic on social media at the end of last year.

Why Taking Action Matters

When facing plagiarism and unfair competition, original creators and brands should not remain passive. The more imitative products there are, the greater the impact on the original product's reputation and on consumers' judgment of brand quality.

Rights protection is a necessary means of protecting one's interests, and also a commitment and guarantee to supporters of originality and to consumers.

Image sources: Internet, Xiaohongshu, FBIF Food & Beverage Innovation

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