To the untrained eye, the furniture above looks virtually identical — at a glance, either could pass for the iconic Eames furniture loved by mid-Century design lovers. That's the argument of the legal team for Herman Miller, who just have filed a federal lawsuit against Nuevo Americana, a Canadian firm, for “trademark infringement of its iconic Eames furniture,” according to WoodTV.com. The furniture in question is the Eames lounge chair and ottoman that were designed by Charles Eames way back in 1956 and have been owned by Herman Miller since 1982. 

Herman Miller wants the products to stop being marketed and would also like payment of court costs as well as three times the amount of profit and damages it has created due to the sale of this supposed knockoff.

Meanwhile, Dr Pepper Snapple Group has been taken to court by the food-safety advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest for “allegedly misleading consumers over the supposed health benefits of an antioxidant it uses in some varieties” of 7UP, according to Reuters. The aim is to make it a class-action suit.Continue reading...

Two years ago, Americans were throwing away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour, according to SmartPlanet.com.

Coca-Cola, which is responsible for a good number of the beverage bottles floating around America, is trying to make its containers more environmentally friendly — as is its chief rival, PepsiCo, which is promoting its plant-based PET bottle.

The latest volley in the green bottle rivalry: Coke's marketers are touring college campuses, including visiting Alabama’s Samford University and other colleges in the South to “create awareness for their PlantBottle packaging initiative,” according to the Samford Crimson.

The college marketing tour will help Coke test consumer preferences among the all-important 18-24 demo for its eco-friendly bottles in Atlanta, Birmingham, and Nashville in three different beverage sizes: 12.5, 16, and 20 ounces.Continue reading...

Nearly two decades ago, Coca-Cola bought a lime drink in India called Citra from Ramesh Chauhan but then discontinued it and pushed its own Sprite instead. Now, the soda maker is testing out how Citra sells in some Indian cities and is planning a national rollout, according to the Economic Times.

The Economic Times hears that the drink “will be priced about 20% cheaper than existing lime-lemon drinks” such as Coke’s own Sprite and Limca as well as local soft drink brands owned by PepsiCo, Mountain Dew and 7Up. That will help Coke “target a wider audience and take on smaller brands” in the world’s second-most-populated country. 

Industry observers are a little surprised by Coke’s plan, since Sprite is already India’s second-most-popular soda behind a drink even Roger Ebert would love, Thums Up, which is now manufactured by Coke. Sprite also leads the field in the “lime-lemon drinks segment, which is the fastest-growing soft drink category in India's 13,000-crore fizzy drinks market,” the paper notes.Continue reading...

PepsiCo Beverages Canada is getting ready to roll out the 7UP EcoGreen bottle, not only Canada's but North America’s first soft drink bottle made from 100% recycled PET plastic. 

The 7UP EcoGreen bottle, hitting the market in August, will reduce the amount of virgin plastic by 6 million pounds annually, which amounts to 30% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and 55% less energy use, based on current 7Up production levels. 

Creating such a bottle for soft drinks is more difficult than creating a bottle for non-carbonated beverages due to added materials-stress from carbonation pressure. 

The bottle will be manufactured in PepsiCo plants across Canada equipped with upgraded resin handling and inspection systems the company spent $1 million to bring up to these standards.

“Consumers want products and packaging that reflects their desire to protect the environment, and PepsiCo is committed to delivering on that with this kind of world-class innovation,” said Richard Glover, President, PepsiCo Beverages Canada, in a statement.

“After three years of research and development, we have cracked the code to commercially develop a soft drink bottle made from 100% recycled PET plastic.”Continue reading...

Converse finally opens its Brooklyn "Rubber Tracks" studio where local artists can record for free.

Lady Gaga no longer banned in China, while Rihanna and Gaga fight for Facebook supremacy when Google+ really needs them. And maybe it will get them. Rihanna, meanwhile, also bumped Megan Fox as the new face (and derriere) of Armani.

BMW is now making bikes... for the Olympics. 

China's ad industry worth $28 billion this year, and over $33 billion next year.

Below: Burger King, McDonald's, Kenny Powers and more.Continue reading...

BMW Canada spot featuring the world's highest helipad goes viral; here's part one of the campaign.

"It’s a live market with growing economy and people fond of meat." — Wendy's exec explains Russia launch.

Below: Smurfs, Lady Gaga, sea monkeys and more.Continue reading...

Academy Awards command pricier ad market.

Apple’s Steve Jobs is still calling the shots from home, as news leaks of cheaper and more versatile iPhones.

Blockbuster is heading towards a sale.

Coca-Cola reports 4th quarter and fully-year 2010 results.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo grapple with negative research on diet soda and strokes.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is called on the carpet with Italian Prime Minister.Continue reading...

The emotional strings evoked in the film's title may not be attached. But there are certainly a lot of products attached to No Strings Attached. Booze. Cars. And of course, Apple. Bushels of Apple.

No Strings Attached is filled with products — nearly 30 by our count. It shouldn't come as a surprise.Continue reading...