This week, it has been revealed that Jellycat has made a claim against Aldi after a dupe of Jellycat’s Dexter Dragon design appeared in Aldi supermarkets across the country. This action follows a series of disputes brought against Aldi for producing dupes of popular, and often expensive, products designed by other brands.
Jellycat has gained mass popularity over the last 8 years. In 2016, Princess Charlotte was seen with its Fuddlewuddle Puppy design, which grew public interest in the brand. Since then, the soft toys have become a fan favourite among adults and children, with many influencers also taking a liking to Jellycat’s quirky designs.
The design in question is a dragon which has been created in Jellycat’s signature style with a blue body and red ears, wings and spikes. Aldi has brought out a similar style dragon, under the brand name Little Town, in three different colour ways. All three colourways feature a solid coloured body, with contrasting coloured ears, wings and spikes, in a similar style to Jellycat. Jellycat have claimed that Aldi have infringed their intellectual property rights, stating that the designs are “strikingly similar”. Specific details of the claim, including which intellectual property rights have been alleged, have not yet been disclosed in the media.
Fans of the soft toys were excited to see the Little Town dragon make its way into Aldi stores, with videos on TikTok branding it as a Dexter Dragon dupe. Dexter Dragon retails for £27 and the Little Town dragon retails for just £4.
At this stage, it is unclear how far Jellycat will pursue its allegation that Aldi have a longstanding reputation of being a copycat, after stating in its claim that Aldi have a “propensity to infringe registered designs”. If this allegation is pursued and the claim makes it to court, it will be interesting to see how much emphasis is placed on Aldi’s previously alleged copycat products.
If you have any questions on the above, feel free to contact a member of the team at 0191 281 4000 or alternatively at legal@mcdanielslaw.com.
