Infringement Rules! Nay taste is all that it takes

The bold audacious words “Copyright”, “Trade Mark” or “Imitation of Label Graphics is a Punishable Offence” are powerful terminologies with a legal backing. But it has been reduced to just mere words which have no significance and have been blatantly miused. Google for instance is the global internet tycoon but all its magnanimous stature could not save itself from an anticipated dilemma- from an unexpected source. Yes, another Google aka Google Pan Mazza has monopolised the market in the same way the former monopolised search engines.

Head to any pan shop across the city and one can find this mouth freshener sachet with green and yellow shades, which gallantly calls itself Google. Copyrights or trademarks are potent legal terminologies which have been made a laughing stock and the Google mouth freshener is an apt example. This offbeat product left most of us astonished. Because, gradually the vibrant sachet Google, with a trademark of its own, accompanied by the tagline “your search ends here”, quickly spread its tentacles across the city. Popular brands for years like Pass Pass, Minto Fresh and Halls are being given a run for their money triggering a spree among fastidious buyers.

Manufactured by Anni Products, based in Indore, Google Pan Mazza came with all the specifications in accordance with the Legal Metrology Department and has mentioned the ingredients, the manufacturing date and date of expiry along with the warning ‘Chewing of this product is injurious to health’, boldly on the outer pack.

But lately, the witty product with a profound marketing strategy is gradually dying due to its local counterparts. “I have been selling Google from past few months and the demand shot up like anything. The main sources were places from Old City and a few suppliers who introduced me to this product. I was asked to sell them if the customer asked me a mouth freshener, and undoubtedly the product tasted good and the demand went up. Gradually the suppliers started supplying less and handed over products whose packaging of the label graphics looked similar to Google. One such product, ‘Sugandha’ is manufactured locally. A similar product which looks exactly like Google, named ‘Googlee’ is also a rip-off. Only on closer inspection of the cover would you be able to reveal the difference. Yes, none of these latter products tasted as good as Google either,” said Mohd. Nazim, a Pan Shop owner from Neredmet X Roads.

All the connoisseurs of Google loved the product for its tutti-frooti and other soft ingredients, giving the product a fresh taste. But, taste came as a distress in disguise, “The supply went down to drastically. I used to get the product from a distributor named Anand, who supplied them from Secunderabad. When I enquired why the supply went down he said, the product is not selling much as the tutti-frooti is not dried and people like dry stuff. Google was moist. He then started supplying products like Googlee and Robo which looked quite similar to Google on the cover design,” shared Saikumar, a supplier of pan products. Ramkumar, a consumer activist had an interesting take. He said, “Google has ripped off the font, design of the search engine and it is ironic to find out that there are other mouth fresheners who are copying that product which in itself is a rip off.” Yet for its entire craze, the product like any other pan masala product was never healthy. It remained a crowd puller among smokers, drinker and gutka eaters. One key ingredient in the product is Saccharin Sodium, an artificial sweetener which is a cancer causing agent. It can also enhance diabetes, weight gain and can cause allergic symptoms.

“Products like this come and go, the market has poor retention. They forget easily”, added Saikumar.