Remember that #FreeCuthbert fight that Aldi had with M&S last year?
Well the whole fight ended up in court.
Finally, M&S and Aldi have reached a settlement in a copyright dispute over the design of their caterpillar cakes.
Who can forget the whole Colin the Caterpillar fiasco that went down last year?
In case you do need your memory jogging, all the way back in April 2021, leading retailer Marks & Spencer decided to launch legal action against Aldi over the iconic Colin the Caterpillar cake, claiming that the budget supermarket’s own larvae dessert - Cuthbert the Caterpillar - was just too similar and infringes its trademark.
It was a case that blew up on social media, with plenty of other well-known supermarkets and retailers showing their support after Aldi launched its own #FreeCuthbert campaign.
After the rollercoaster case began to die down a bit, Aldi made the bold move to start selling its caterpillar cake once again in May after making some slight changes to its design, and now, both supermarket giants have confirmed earlier this week that a deal has been struck.
Deputy Master Timothy John Bowles has today signed off an agreement in a consent order filed at the High Court.
The order - which was first reported by The Telegraph - allowed the claim to be withdrawn and said the retailers had reached a "confidential agreement" in November.
In true comical Aldi style, the supermarket confirmed the settlement and teased Cuthbert the Caterpillar's imminent return on Twitter saying: "Getting out early on good behaviour, keep an eye out for Cuthy B this Spring."
Speaking more formally on the order this week, an M&S spokesman said: "The objective of the claim was to protect the intellectual property in our Colin the Caterpillar cake and we are very pleased with the outcome.", while an Aldi spokesperson added: "Cuthbert is free and looking forward to seeing all his fans again very soon."
M&S and Aldi have finally reached a settlement in a copyright dispute over the design of their caterpillar cakes / Credit: Aldi UK
Matters here may have drawn nicely to a close, but the tensions between the two retailers still remain high.
This is because, back in December 2021, it was revealed that M&S is once again launching legal action against Aldi and has accused the retailer copying the design of one of it’s most popular festive products - a Christmas gin liqueur with gold flakes.
The M&S spokesperson added on the case: "Like many other UK businesses, large and small, we know the true value and cost of innovation and the enormous time, passion, creativity, energy and attention to detail, that goes into designing, developing and bringing a product to market and building its brand over many years.
"So it is understandable that we want to defend our intellectual property and protect our suppliers - many of them small businesses that have worked with us for decades."
IKEA will be launching its own online marketplace full of second-hand furniture.
Just like the ever-popular Facebook Marktplace, the IKEA second-hand marketplace is a dedicated space where pre-loved IKEA products can find a new home.
In bid to make affordable second-hand home furnishings easily accessible, the new online platform will enable customers across the UK to connect with one another directly, so they can buy and sell pre-owned IKEA items locally.
Designed specifically for IKEA products, the marketplace will provide everything shoppers need in one place.
The Swedish retailer is already known and loved for its 'functional' and 'affordable' home furnishings, all produced with care for people and the environment, but the launch of the new IKEA second-hand market place will make it just as easy to pass on an old favourite as it is to find a new one.
IKEA is launching its own online marketplace full of second-hand furniture / Credit: Supplied
"At IKEA, we are always looking for new ways to make life at home even better and help our customers discover products they love," a spokesperson for the retailer said.
"With the launch of IKEA second-hand marketplace in the UK, we’re taking a meaningful step toward creating a destination that simplifies access to pre-owned IKEA furniture.
"Our goal is to make passing on beloved IKEA pieces as seamless as possible.
"We’re creating a trusted and vibrant space to make it quick and easy for our IKEA Family members to trade directly with one another. We want the process for buying and selling pre-owned IKEA products to be simple, accessible and rewarding."
Detailed information regarding the official launch and how customers can get involved will be made available in the coming months.
Featured Image - Supplied
Trending
New TV adaptation of classic Yorkshire-inspired novel Jane Eyre to air on BBC starring Aimee Lou Wood
Emily Sergeant
Manchester actress Aimee Lou Wood is set to lead a new BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre, it has been reported.
It was announced earlier this year that Working Title are producing a new TV adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, Jane Eyre - which will be led by The White Lotus and Sex Education star in the titular role - and Deadline has now exclusively revealed that the BBC has joined the production as the broadcaster.
The new TV adaptation has been penned for the screen by Miriam Battye - an award-winning writer best known for her work on HBO's Succession.
Published all the way back in 1847 and set across a number of fictional Northern England settings - mainly inspired by the Brontë sisters' upbringing in Yorkshire - the classic novel explores the moral and emotional development of orphan Jane Eyre as she searches for love, independence, and social equality in the 19th century.
Throughout the novel, Jane overcomes a harsh and unloving childhood and goes on to find work as a governess at Thornfield Hall, before falling in love with her moody master, Mr Rochester, and discovering a dark secret in his attic.
EXCLUSIVE: Deadline hears that 'The White Lotus' and 'Sex Education' star Aimee Lou Wood is attached to star in a new TV adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel Jane Eyre.
Emmy nominee Wood will play the indomitable heroine in the buzzy adaptation which we understand is… pic.twitter.com/ETBRaPJanN
The novel is widely considered to be ahead of its time due to how it approaches topics of class, sexuality, religion, and feminism.
Jane Eyre has been the subject of a number of adaptations of the years - most notably the last major TV version being in 2006, also for the BBC, and a 2011 film starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender - but there hasn't been any in 15 years now, and 2027 marks the 180th anniversary for the iconic story.
Aimee Lou Wood is also riding high at the moment after her Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe nominations for Season 3 of The White Lotus, and after having also been cast as George Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd, in Sam Mendes' four Beatles biopic movies, all set to be released in 2028.
As of yet, further information on when and where the new adaptation will be being filmed is yet to be released, and there is no indication of air dates either.
The BBC is expected to reveal more details in due course, so stay tuned.
The Hoot -
4th February 2022 
