Ritter Sport takes square oat bar packaging dispute to appeal court

Ritter Sport and Mannheim company Wacker are continuing a legal dispute over the packaging of Wacker’s square oat bars.

Wacker launched the bars in November 2024, and their packaging resembles the shape of Ritter Sport chocolate bars.

Ritter Sport says its packaging design has been protected as a trademark since 1996 and argues that shoppers could confuse the products.

Wacker says oat bars are different from chocolate and that a square is a basic geometric shape.

In January, a Stuttgart court rejected Ritter Sport’s claim, finding no trademark infringement, and Ritter Sport appealed.

Wacker has temporarily taken the square bars out of its range and replaced them with a long bar called “Monnemer Klageriegel,” citing concern about possible damages.

The appeal hearing at Stuttgart’s higher regional court is set for one day, but the court has not said when it will issue a decision; the case could go on to Germany’s Federal Court of Justice.