Lawsuits

Freeze! Stick ’Em Up! Unilever Busts People’s Pops on Use of ‘Popsicle’

Remember when Hershey’s slapped Jacques Torres with a cease and desist order over his “Champagne Kiss” bonbons? Well, it’s déjà vu: This time, the letter is coming from Unilever Supply Chain, Inc. (owners of the Popsicle brand) and its recipient is People’s Pops, which made the mistake of describing its local, seasonal ice pops as “popsicles” on its blog.

It turns out the word Popsicle is actually a registered trademark referring to the “Frozen Drink on a Stick!” that was first sold in San Francisco in 1923 — something we actually knew because our copy editor insists on capitalizing it every time we use it. According to a letter reprinted on the People’s Pops blog, lawyers asked the budding company to “replace all of the references to ‘popsicle’ and ‘popsicles’ … with proper generic terminology such as ‘ice pop(s).’” And so they did. But the little guy gets the last word: “Don’t worry. We promise, whatever they’re called, our ice pops still taste better.”

Cease and Desist!! [People’s Pops]

Freeze! Stick ’Em Up! Unilever Busts People’s Pops on Use of