Thatchers has won its latest trademark battle as the Court of Appeal ruled that Aldi did infringe on the brand’s Cloudy Lemon Cider product.

The ruling came after Thatchers appealed against the High Court’s dismissal of its claim last year, which ruled that there is “no likelihood of confusion” between Thatchers’ product and Aldi’s Taurus Cloudy Lemon Cider.

In the latest update, three Court of Appeal judges made the judgement that Thatchers had won, with Lord Justice Arnold stating that the supermarket’s design was intended to convey to consumers that it was similar, but cheaper than the cider brand’s original product.

Therefore, he said it “intended to take advantage of the reputation of the trademark in order to assist it to sell the Aldi product”.

Thatchers fourth generation cider maker Martin Thatcher said: “This is a victory not just for our family business, but for all businesses whose innovation is stifled by copycats.

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“We’re thrilled the High Court got to the core of the issue and cleared up any cloudy judgement.”

The verdict, made yesterday (20 January), came as the latest ruling in the long-standing legal battle between Thatchers and Aldi, first launched in 2022 over the similarities between the two products.

An Aldi spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that the Court of Appeal disagreed with the High Court in this case. We think the Court of Appeal’s decision is wrong and we intend to appeal.

“Aldi offers exclusive brands as low-price alternatives to more expensive branded products. The High Court was clear that Aldi customers know what they are buying when they shop with us. We will continue to produce high-quality exclusive brands for our customers at unbeatable prices.”

It is not the first time the discounter has been brought to court over copy-right allegations. The supermarket has also faced legal proceedings by M&S over claims it had its Colin the Caterpillar cake design stolen, as well as its light-up festive gin bottle design.