KitKat Trademark

Confectionery giant Nestle is attempting to turn the shape of the KitKat bar into a trademark. Manufacturer Nestle is arguing the four-fingered version of the chocolate-covered wafer snack should become a trademark in the UK, possibly preventing similar products being made. It says that, without the red-and-white packaging, and even without the word KitKat embossed on the chocolate, it should be regarded in law as distinct.The European court is expected to issue its advice within a few months. Nestle's application then returns to the High Court, which will make the ultimate decision. A separate case is going on, in which Nestle is trying to get a Europe-wide trademark for the KitKat shape.

KitKat Trademark

Can I Borrow A Pen?

Its not just the students of Whitley Bay High School that don't always have a pen. The staff at RyanAir may also sometimes find themselves without a pen as RyanAir Michael O'Leary does not buy any pens for its staff.  "We use our own biros and I tell the staff not to buy them, just pick them up from hotels, legal offices, wherever. That's what I do. Recently I did an interview and I was sitting there with a hotel pen I'd nicked from somewhere. I was asked why and I said: 'We at Ryanair have a policy of stealing hotel pens. We won't pay for Bic biros as part of our obsession with low costs."

RyanAir No Pens

Any Spare Change?

A Chinese man reportedly bought a $140,000 (£70,000) car Tuesday almost entirely with coins. The man, who works at a gas station, says he collected the coins from buses that stopped to refuel and decided to save them up for a new car. He walked into a Shenyang dealership and used $136,000 in coins and $4,000 in banknotes to buy his new vehicle. Ten staff members from the dealership spent an hour moving the coins from the back of a truck into the store. The coins weighed four tons overall and were over 12 feet tall when piled up. There were 660,000 coins and 20,000 low value banknotes.

Spare Change Buys Car

Mixing It Up

Design company Incap Ltd has created a new cap for drinks that allows a lid chamber to release mixers or supplements for bottled drinks. The lid, which has to be pulled up and twister to allow the release of the supplement, means that consumers can mix their own drinks and potentially mix and match flabours and additives on the go, without having to resort to a separate bottle. The companies key message is that if its already mixed it is not fresh.

InCap Drinks Ltd

Alton Towers Smiler Crash

Alton Towers will remain closed until the cause of a rollercoaster crash that left 16 people injured is discovered, the theme park's boss has said. The Staffordshire attraction's gates are shut for a second day while the Health and Safety Executive investigates Tuesday's crash. Nick Varney, of Merlin Entertainments, which runs the park, said it could only reopen when they knew the problem was isolated to the rollercoaster.

The Smiler 

More Than Meats The Pie...

One of the biggest names in savoury pastries, Pork Farms Group, will be allowed to take over the pastries business of Kerry Foods. The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) said the new combination would not affect prices or quality of "hot pies, cold pies, sausage rolls, pasties and slices" in the £1bn sized market. The deal would allow Pork Farms to expand the product range.

Pie Takeover

Deliveroo

A group of British start-up companies are trying to disrupt the food takeaway business, by making it easier for restaurants to deliver, that wouldn't normally consider it.The largest of these is Deliveroo, now operating in major cities including London, Brighton, Nottingham and Edinburgh. It uses mobile internet technology to connect drivers and restaurants, and an army of electric bikes. Follow the link to watch a quick video about it.

Deliveroo