Why this chocolate aisle staple got banned in Europe

Imagine a world without chocolate. Well, in Sweden that is a reality, for at least one popular brand anyway. 

While the rest of the world is able to enjoy the small hard-shelled choccies we call m&ms, the Scandinavian country is deprived of them and their mini, crispy, peanut filled and it's many other varieties. 

The dispute isn't surrounding the taste of the product, as you'd expect. Instead it is about something much more superficial.

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You see, the signature m&ms logo we all know and love, which simply features two lowercase m's, seems to encroach on the territory of another beloved brand in Sweden. 

The logo bears a striking resemblance to the logo of the Swedish chocolate treat, Marabou M.

Marabou M Peanut are peanuts covered in delectable chocolate, with the snack being very similar to peanut m&ms.

What is also very similar is the packaging. Side by side, the m's on the packets looked almost identical, despite the chocolates themselves looking anything but.

After much confusion in the lolly aisle, the Swedes decided they had had enough and took the issue to the courts in 2016.

Following much deliberation, it was decided Mars would have to cease using its signature logo in Sweden in order to avoid confusion.

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But they were taken aback by the decision, believing their branding to be completely different to the native Swedish treat.

"We have always believed no confusion exists between the colourful m&m's brand - one of the world's favourite chocolate products - and the Marabou M Peanut Brand," said Mars in a statement.

"Given the court's decision we will assess the next steps for our beloved brand in Sweden."

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It was decided they would either need to use the capital "M&M" logo if they wanted to keep selling their products, or pull them from the shelves entirely.

It is not the first time the dispute has occurred, with the court battles dating back decades.

When Mars first attempted to enter the Scandinavian market in 1989, they came to an agreement with Marabou's manufacturers Mondelez (then named Kraft).

Mars agreed not to sell m&ms in Sweden, Norway or Finland, while Mondelez agreed to not sell their products in any markets other than those three.

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This agreement expired in 1998, and Mars began to sell their products in these territories in 2009.

When Mondelez saw this move, they launched legal action which was resolved with the ban on the lowercase m for m&ms in 2016.

Thankfully for Swedish chocolate lovers, it seems that Mars has since relented and instead uses the capital M in their logo in these countries, allowing them to enjoy both forms of chocolatey goodness.

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