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Drinks row bubbles over

Drinks row bubbles over

Soft drinks maker, PepsiCo Inc, has won a lawsuit filed by rival Coca-Cola Co over a patent for containers used to dispense soft-drink syrup.

Coca-Cola has twice successfully sued PepsiCo over the patented technology for a specially constructed collapsible bag made by Liqui-Box Corp, but on this occasion US District Judge Richard Story ruled that PepsiCo isn't infringing a patent owned by Coca-Cola.

Explaining his decision, Judge Story said that the Pepsi bags were not the same: ‘Substantial differences exist’ and ‘Coke has failed to establish a necessary element of its infringement claim against PepsiCo.’

The third supplier dispenser bags are placed in a cardboard box to release the optimum amount of syrup, thus saving soft drinks outlets money.

The third such lawsuit Atlanta-based Coca-Cola has brought against PepsiCo is the latest in a long line of fall-outs between the two soft drinks giants. But in a rare show of unity in 2006, Pepsi and Coca-Cola joined forces to overturn a ban on their products in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

Coca-Cola was introduced in 1886 while Pepsi-Cola was launched in 1903. While Coke outsells its rival globally, Pepsi is more popular in some territories. While both compete aggressively for global sales of their colas, reports indicate the soft drinks market is decreasing. Both have expanded their portfolios to include water and other non-carbonated drinks.

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