Finnish meat producers settle green brand color dispute

Finnish meat producers Atria and Snellman have settled a dispute over the use of a specific dark green shade in branding, the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) confirmed.

The PRH partially revoked Snellman’s exclusive trademark rights to the color, narrowing its use to pork and beef products, including fresh and packaged meat, minced meat, liver pâté, cold cuts, and sausages. The decision follows a challenge from Atria, which also uses green in its branding.

Snellman originally secured trademark protection for the color last summer, granting it exclusive use across a broader range of meat products. However, the PRH ruled in March that the company had only demonstrated long-term association of the green shade with its pork and beef lines, based on submitted evidence such as market surveys, order records, marketing budgets, and advertising materials.

Both companies confirmed the settlement but declined to disclose further details. Atria’s communications director Hanne Kortesoja stated that the firms had agreed not to comment publicly. Snellman’s CEO Markus Hellström said the company would not appeal the decision to the Market Court.

The dispute highlights intense competition in the meat industry, where green is often linked to positive consumer perceptions such as responsibility and ethics, as noted by a University of Helsinki consumer research docent in a prior interview with Yle.