Spanish justice has ordered Lidl to withdraw its Monsieur Cuisine Connect robot from sale after a complaint from the manufacturer Thermomix, which accuses the sign of plagiarism.
For the time being, the Thermomix distributor in France has not filed a similar procedure for a withdrawal from sale in French stores.
By marketing Monsieur Cuisine Connect at an affordable price, via its SilverCrest brand, has Lidl deliberately infringed the patents of Vorwerk, the German manufacturer of the famous Thermomix robot?
This is what the Spanish justice recently estimated.
The Barcelona commercial court on Tuesday forced the German sign to withdraw from the sale, in its stores, this robot cooker acclaimed on both sides of the Pyrenees.
As an expert explains to the newspaper
El Pais
, relayed by BFM TV, it is the function of weighing food which is at the heart of the dispute between the two brands.
"There was no machine that allowed food to be weighed in the cooking bowl even when it is not on", defends this specialist.
No application of this decision in France
The question now arises as to whether a withdrawal from the sale could apply in France.
"This court decision is specific to Spanish courts and does not apply in France", explains Lidl France to BFM TV.
"Only Lidl Spain is affected by this judgment. And the decision has no effect on consumers who have purchased a Monsieur Cuisine Connect from Lidl France."
In the spring of 2019, the arrival on the stalls of the German discounter was very successful, which can be explained by the large price difference between the two products.
The Monsieur Cuisine Connect is sold on average 359 euros, against 1,300 euros for the authentic Thermomix, produced by Vorwerk.