Cease and desist: how A2 Milk protects its precious IP

A2 Milk is a popular dairy product in New Zealand. (Photo: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mon, 27 Sep 2021

In 2013, Julian Raine, managing director of Nelson-based Oaklands Milk, received an unexpected letter from lawyers representing the A2 Corporation.It said he had been quoted in the media discussing Oaklands’ new range of A2 milk and had therefore infringed on the NZX-listed company’s intellectual property. He must, instructed the letter, cease and desist from making further mention of the words “A2” or “A2 Milk” in the public realm. It came as a surprise to Raine, given the comparatively small size of hi...

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