Art Van Ordered to Stop “Chocolate Bar” Promotion

October 27, 2008  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on October 2008 A federal judge has ordered Art Van Furniture to remove a proposed truck design from its Web site that depicts an unwrapped chocolate bar revealing a sofa, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The truck design is one of 10 that the Warren, Mich.-based retailer had posted for consumer response, but chocolate giant Hershey Co. filed a lawsuit claiming trademark infringement. The judge ruled that while the two companies are in different businesses, any reduction of confusion among consumers is in the public interest.

“We have so many great designs to use. That was just a fun one. We’ll move forward without it,” company spokeswoman Chris Morrisroe said in the report.