Court rules Dualit can continue selling its coffee capsules
Following a 10-month legal battle between Nestec - the owner of the Nespresso - and independent British company Dualit, the High Court of Justice has judged that Dualit can continue to sell its NX coffee capsules.
The capsules are compatible with Nestlé's Nespresso machines and the Dualit three-in-one coffee machine, which is the first coffee system to allow consumers to use ground coffee, Easy Serving Espresso (ESE) pods and NX capsules.
"The judgment is ultimately good news for the consumer," said Leslie Gort-Barten, Dualit's managing director. "Until this ruling consumers were essentially subject to a monopoly on how they purchased additional replacement capsules. Now with our own range of NX coffee capsules we can offer consumers a greater degree of choice driven by flavour, convenience and cost."
Nespresso have expressed disappointment and according to Daniel Weston, general counsel of Nestlé Nespresso: "The protection of our intellectual property is an important component of our business strategy."
Weston added: "In fact, Nespresso is today competing against approximately 100 portioned coffee offerings in the market globally, including 11 in the UK alone."