2 June 2008 - The high court in Paris has ruled that France's groupe Elvir, mainly known for its Elle & Vire butter, must initially pay over 1 million euro in damages to Lactalis for selling a product similar in shape to Lactalis' "La Motte Président" butter.
According to French media reports, Normandy-based Elvir, part of Compagnie laitière européenne (CLE), a Bongrain subsidiary, had been producing the imitation dome-shaped cheese since 2003.
Lactalis has been selling "La Motte Président" since 1999.
The media reports add that the total financial compensation claimed by Lactalis amounts to 4.6 million euro.
Last week, FLEXNEWS reported that Lactalis had invested 18 million euro in its Brittany sites of Vitré and L'Hermitage in a bid to meet growing global demand for some of its products.