Lot 49: Censored M&Ms Archives

01/19/07

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Censored M&Ms

Mars, Inc. had an opportunity to offer something fun: custom printed M&Ms. Unfortunately, what the company wants you to print is banal twaddle.

While we encourage your creativity, Masterfoods USA will not honor a request to print any "objectionable" language, acronyms, symbols, pictures, or any other graphic representation."

"Objectionable" as Mars, Inc./Masterfoods USA defines it, is whatever the company wants to refuse to print, such as corporate trademarks. That's an absurd restriction. Trademarks do not represent linguistic monopolies. They exist to prevent consumer confusion in the marketplace. Printing "iPod" on an M&M or some similar term isn't going to cause a customer to mistakenly purchase, say, a Zune.

The Federal Trade Commission should prevent companies from claiming to offer customization when the range of allowed expression is so narrow.

Posted by Thomas Claburn on January 19, 2007 | Permalink

2 Comments

Ed said:

Oh come on, these are meant for Valentine's Day, Anniversaries, and etc. They have to save themselves from the legal mishaps that printing iPod M&M's could cause.

Apple has been known to be a bit litigious in the past.

They aren't going to stop you from writing "I love you" or "Happy Birthday" - which is really what they are useful for.

January 22, 2007 9:04 AM

Rae Lynn said:

When a blockbuster movie such Shrek, with a rating of PG and billed as family entertainment, can get away with a gingerbread man telling the villan to "eat me" in resonse to a threat,it makes me question the powers that be as to why as to why that same two word phrase cannot be an acceptable choice of words to print on food!

February 20, 2007 6:37 PM

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