CONSUMER PRODUCTS
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Coke Out for Bear Over Rival Ads: The Goliath of soft drink makers took on David when it sued a 112-year-old family-owned soft drink business over the latter’s use of television ads featuring polar bears. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola is seeking a preliminary injunction against Worcester, Mass.-based Polar Corp. in U.S. District Court in Boston. Coca-Cola claims the TV spots disparage its products. A recent ad by Polar, which said it has used a polar bear as its mascot for most of its history, shows an animated bear tossing a can of Coke into a recycling bin marked “Keep the Arctic Pure.” The bear then drinks a can of Polar’s seltzer water. Coke has also used polar bears in its TV advertising.
