ALDI beer knockoffs

Offering the same thing to you.

 

This is the thing, in a nutshell.

If Heineken or Boston Beer Company, with their armadas of lawyers, haven't taken action, there's probably not action to be taken. If BBC don't care, why should the rest of us?

 

As a long time Aldi shopper, let me interject a warning: Aldi beers are usually very disappointing. You have been warned.

Even the flavored seltzer waters have been found to be inferior.

The wine can be OK if you stick with the better ones. In our area they sell a few Great Lakes and Rhinegeist brews which are usually pretty fresh.

I like a lot of the food and non-food items, fresh pickles, certain meat, etc. But you have to be careful.

 

Did you ever think that what you where purchasing from Aldi was the same as the product they mimicked? Did you ever feel like you had been duped, or did you figure "Buyer Beware"?

 

Many companies have taken aldi to court for this practice and the imitation sea quench that sparked this thread was just announced. We don't yet know what their lawyers think

 

BBC probably thinks there’s far more customers out there that wont buy any beer from Aldis under any circumstances, I don’t buy beer at CVS either. So investing millions in a lawsuit is probably just wasted money.

 

No one will be complaining when Aldi starts selling knock off versions of America’s favorite BA stouts at a significantly lower price point. Come on Moose Island Urban Mounty Brand Stout.

 

And, what's the won-lost record in those suits?

 

A quick google search turns up plenty of judgements against aldi. Obviously not enough to convince them to stop the practice but certainly enough to suspect that there is a chance to win a case against them if you feel they ripped off your IP

 

Also, to the question of the sea quench knock off that triggered @Todd to start this thread, that (sea quench) is one of my wife's favorite beers. She doesn't really care much about beer beyond having access to some that she enjoys occasionally. She's also notorious bad at checking labels and I could 100% envision her grabbing the aldi product because she thought it was the DFH product

 

And yet they haven't stopped. Have any of these lawsuits resulted in Aldi not selling a certain product?

Folks don't go to Aldi because they want the coolest shit. They go there because it's cheaper, because they live on a budget. I feel sorry for those of you that just found out this is something that happens in America. Did you know that store brand canned beans were availablef? Wait until you learn about food deserts!

That Aldi has been brought to court numerous times in the past regarding this sort of thing only tells me that they've figured out the system. They sell to folks who would like nicer things, here and there, but can't afford the mark-up (have any of y'all actually been to an Aldi and seen how bare bones it is?) They're not selling Gucci knock-offs, they're selling a touch of luxury to folks that otherwise couldn't afford it. The consumers understand that it isn't the same as the name brand, caveat emptor and all that.

 

They have resulted in aldi changing the packaging on products.

I really don't understand why you are so upset about.this subject. No one is attacking aldis business model. Some people have suggested that some of their packaging constitutes IP theft by emulating established brands' trade dress, and some people have stated that they feel this is an immoral business practice.

That's it

 

There’s always a pressure to upgrade, there’s competition out there, like Lidles. I buy some meats at Aldis because there are cheaper, but not steaks, I go to a butcher shop fir that because I don’t do steaks often, but chicken or ground beer, lunch meat I do. And bootleg Wheaties or eggs, cream, protein bars or fruit didn’t bother me a bit. Cream cheese is cream cheese, I can buy Philadelphia brand but my wife can’t tell the difference, so why pay more?

 

Well, I just feel that Aldi's business model is all about the lower-end consumer, and in this day and age, one would figure that folks know the difference between the store brand and the name brand. I never think that the Safeway Signature Select (even though they have the better name) are the same as Bush's baked beans.

To me, it seems that y'all think that poor people should be protected from themselves. This isn't the old west full of rubes buying snake oil. These are people walking into a place where they have to slide a quarter into a shopping cart just so that they can pull it out to use it. They know what they are getting into before they step into the doors.

I'm upset because a lot of y'all think that the less well off consumer is too ignorant to be able to read a label, and if a lot of y'all are surrounded by people that this is true for, well, look at your surroundings and think about it.

 

You really have these strawman arguments down pat, don't you? This, coupled with your demeaning attitude results in this...

Bye.

 

I guess my main

I wish you the best.

 

I disagree here. There’s people shopping at our Aldis in high end cars, so I’d suppose they can go anywhere they choose. It does show that there’s some items that a name brand matters so very little. A green bean is a green bean, they’re meats are far cheaper, and as long as your not looking for a USDA Prime steak, it’s fine, a roast is fine, chicken and ground beef is fine. They cater to those who are flexible enough on some items to save a buck or two and nothing more. I love Aldis for some things, some things not so much. I can get fresh Amoroso rolls here, why I haven't a clue, but it’s great. Can’t get them anywhere else.

 

I don't known where your idea that any of this has to do with the affluence or intelligence of aldis customer.base? I also don't think that labeling that closely mirrors other brands' is essential to providing cheaper beer or food or whatever.

This seems, to me, more like another interesting story in the ongoing story of IP in the modern beer industry. This type of conflict (assuming DFH makes any attempt to stop aldi from marketing this beer in that packaging) is inevitable in a market with 1000 more breweries each year. Personally, the seaquench knock off seems pretty blatant and I'd imagine its likely that aldi is forced to change the packaging if dogfish pushes the issue. I'm not an IP lawyer, ive never defended a trademark so its just speculation.

Even if aldi is flagrantly violating the letter of IP law and is found guilty I don't think that makes them evil or that the company should be shutdown or anything. They should probably just make slightly more original label design choices.

 

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see that much of a resemblance between a can of Sea Quench Ale and a can of Key Lime Sour.
The can colors are similar, but the labeling, fonts, description, and images are noticably different as are the names.
I do agree that the carrier for the Holland 6 pack dues look an awful lot like Heineken

 

I knew that, but I figured that maybe ALDI had some behind the scenes contracts to get "look alike" products instead of actionable illegal bootlegs. Benefit of the doubt I guess.