Nespresso investigates patent infringement over French capsules
FRANCE 12th March 2010
Coffee brewing system Nespresso in early March said it was investigating whether capsules being offered by French retail chain Casino-Perrachon infringed its patents, a Bloomberg report said.
Nespresso, which is Swiss-based food multinational Nestlé’s fastest growing brand, uses a system of coffee sealed into aluminium capsules to brew espresso in a number of dedicated machines.
The Casino capsules, which are scheduled to go on sale in France in May, are biodegradable, compatible with the Nespresso system machines and are planned to retail at about 20% less than Nespresso capsules, a spokesperson for the chain said.