Case Name :      Lassonde Industries versus Olivia’s Oasis Inc.

Authors :           Christopher A. Ross

Source :             Ivey Publishing

Case ID :            W13472

Discipline :        Marketing

Case Length :    07 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

La Presse, a French language newspaper in Montreal and the largest French language newspaper in North America, published an article summarizing the judgment of a trademark infringement case involving Lassonde Industries, a large Quebec conglomerate with sales of almost Cdn$760 million, and Olivia’s Oasis, a small Quebec manufacturer of health and beauty products with sales of Cdn$250,000. Initially, Olivia’s Oasis had successfully defended itself and it was awarded damages and costs by the courts. However, Lassonde appealed, which resulted in Olivia’s Oasis having to pay its own legal costs – a judgment that could bankrupt the small company. By the end of the day, thousands of readers and members of the public had reacted via social media with such vehemence that Lassonde felt pressured to pay Olivia’s Oasis’ costs. The issues are related to the management of a company’s reputation and the potential impact of negative public reaction in the long term.