Mother Jones re: the Just Mayo lawsuit

[LiberalElite]

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/11/great-mayo-smackdown?google_editors_picks=true

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Last Friday, the Anglo-Dutch mega-conglomerate Unilever, owner of Hellmann's Mayonnaise, filed suit against the vegan upstart Hampton Creek, maker of egg-free Just Mayo, citing "false advertising and unfair competition," and whining claiming that "Just Mayo already is stealing market share from Hellmann's."

Unilever, which long ago swallowed Ben & Jerry's, Breyer's, Lipton, Mrs. Filbert's, Slimfast, Close-Up, Noxzema, Q-Tips, Vaseline, and hundreds of other brands into its multinational maw, argues that "Hampton Creek's materially false and misleading Just Mayo name, packaging, and advertising has caused and unless restrained will continue to cause great and irreparable injury to Unilever." That irreparable injury—for which Unilever requests that Hampton Creek change the name, remove all jars from shelves, and pay Unilever three times damages, plus attorney's fees—comes because Hampton Creek is trying to pass off its eggless goop as mayonnaise, which "damages the entire product category, which has strived for decades for a consistent definition of ‘mayonnaise' that fits with consumer expectations." The FDA, Unilever correctly points out, defines mayonnaise as including an "egg-yolk containing ingredient." Hampton Creek has fired back that, duh, that's why they call their product mayo, not mayonnaise.
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[kentauros]

1. Perhaps Hampton Creek should also use the etymology of the word

in their defense, as it appears the original word may have been "mahonnaise." Hellmann's may have been misspelling it all along!

[silverweb]

2. "Stealing market share" ???

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I thought the "free market" was based on competition and enterprise? The "invisible hand" is supposed to sort out which product is best by virtue of its popularity with users (sales).

How can a new, better product be "stealing" market share by virtue of being more popular? Isn't that what the "market" is supposed to be all about?

I think Unilever is going to lose this suit big time, and I hope they have to pay Hampton Creek's legal fees plus damages.

Best Foods/Hellman's is what I grew up with and it used to be my gold standard for mayonnaise. Then I started making my own (which is pretty good, if I do say so myself).

Now I'll be buying Just Mayo. Oh, and I'll be boycotting all other Unilever products, too!

This is for you, Unilever:

[LiberalElite]

3. yeah heh -

they piqued my interest - free advertising for Just Mayo. Thanks Unilever

[silverweb]

4. I've had it.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]It really is quite good and better than the other vegan options out there.

Love the free advertising from the monolith!

[longship]

5. They should have named it "Genuine Vegan Artificial Mayonnaise Type Substance."

By naming it "Just Mayo" and simultaneously claiming to be vegan, they are clearly exercising in deception.

There is no such thing as vegan mayonnaise, since mayo is made from eggs, which vegans do not eat. So "Just Mayo" is an outright lie.

The marketers of "Just Mayo" deserve to lose, mainly because they should have called their product, "Just No Mayo". Or maybe, "Genuine Vegan Artificial Mayonnaise Type Substance"

You can tell I might not be the best marketer. But I hope they lose, if only for the deception.

I have no problem with vegans. Just sleazy marketing.

[ginnyinWI]

6. I vote for, "Better Than Mayo"

See how Hellman's likes that!

[longship]

7. That would be okay with me.

Myself, I like mayo and always have a big jar of it in the fridge.

Regards.

[Luminous Animal]

8. Technically, according to the FDA, there is no such food stuff called "mayo".

It entered the common vernacular as slang. Which is why, even though Kraft uses it on their mayonnaise, they are unable to trademark the word. And though the vast majority of us may understand mayo to mean mayonnaise, the Feds don't and the word has been up for grabs for a long time. I think it was a brilliant move and legally, they had every right to use it. What they can't use is "mayonnaise" and they don't.

Kudos for Unilever for giving the product a big giant boost in sales.