Happy Halloween everyone! In honor of this day of frights and horrors, I thought it might be fitting to share some recent and truly terrifying product-centered lawsuits. After all, nothing freezes the soul into a stiff block of dead-solid ice quite like the chilling fear of a multimillion-dollar product safety lawsuit.
- Harry Potter and the “So What We Stole Your Font?”
This July The Hollywood Reporter stated that NBC Universal was facing some serious legal hexes for alleged theft of a font used to decorate several pieces of Harry Potter merchandise, including a cap, pillow and stationary set. Since fonts cannot be copyrighted themselves, the suit stems from claims that the fonts in question are tied to a specific software program, and were not permitted to be used in a commercial setting. The suit may seem ridiculous, but the article does cite previous legal precedents in the plaintiff’s favor. So, the spooky moral here? Mind the origins of your P’s, Q’s and everything in-between. - Toymaker Slammed for $1.1 Million Due to Defective Toy Dart Gun
Reuters reported on Oct. 14 that Toymaker Henry Gordy International Inc. agreed to pay a $1.1 million settlement to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The settlement was paid over accusations filed by the CPSC that claimed the toymaker’s gun had a known and dangerous choking hazard inherent in its design that had lead to at least three deaths. Henry Gordy International Inc. is quoted denying the accusations, while the CSPC claims that the toymaker “made material representations” by withholding manufacturing data during a 2009 investigation. - 85,000 Tins of Cookies Recalled by Rite Aid
ConsumerReports.org stated today that pharmacy chain Rite Aid had issued a recall of 85,000 tins of buttered cookies. The cookies were contaminated with bacillus cereus, a strain of bacteria that causes food-poisoning-like symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. The cookies are returnable to any Rite Aid store for a full refund.
Spooky stuff to be sure, but nothing that can’t be avoided as long as you’re careful with your products and keep up on legal developments relevant to the industry I suppose. Have a happy and safe Halloween everyone, thank you for reading, and see you next week!
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Monday Mike Fact: I think I am going to be making some cookies this week based off some promotional recipes and cookie cutters I got in the mail. Pretty exciting!
