Dick Smith’s version of the popular Australian spread Vegemite, OzEmite, could be pulled from supermarket shelves following a legal stoush with the makers of AussieMite.
At a hearing today in Canberra, AussieMite is seeking to have OzEmite removed from the trademarks register.
Should it be successful, this could open up legal grounds for Dick Smith to be sued for trademark infringement.
The profits of Dick Smith’s OzEmite are donated to charity and it’s been stocked on the shelves since June 2012, however the trademark was first registered in October 1999.
The Agereports AussieMite was registered 18 months after OzEmite, however it was in supermarkets as of May 2000.
Australian retail turnover increased 0.5% in October, following a rise of 0.9% in September, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.
Turnover in the cafes, restaurants and takeaway food category recorded the biggest rise, jumping 1.2% for the month.
Food retailing in general increased 0.5%, while clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing was also up 0.6%.
These gains were partially offset by a 0.3% fall in department store spending.
On a state basis, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory recorded the biggest gains, jumping 1.3% and 1.4% respectively.
Aussie shares have fallen slightly on open, ahead of this afternoon’s rates decision by the Reserve Bank.
The S&P/ASX200 benchmark was down 11.6 points to 5267.9 at 12:06pm AEDT. Overnight the Dow Jones lost 77.64 points, down 0.48% to 16,008.77.
