Kims owner challenges dictionary definition of cheese puffs

Orkla Snacks Denmark, which owns the Kims snack brand, has sued the Danish Language and Literature Society over the definition of a cheese puff in two online dictionaries, DR reports.

The company wants the definition to state that “Ostepops” is a Kims trademark. The Sø- og Handelsretten court was due to rule in the case on Friday.

The dictionaries currently define a cheese puff as a “crisp, yellow or orange, curved snack made from corn flour and flavoured with cheddar cheese”.

Orkla Snacks argues that the definition is too generic and could also cover similar products sold under names such as “ostesnack” or “ostereje”. The company says this could reduce the value of its trademark by suggesting that the term describes a generic product that any business may use.

The company cites a provision of Danish trademark law requiring reference works to state when a word is a registered trademark. It points to the dictionary’s definition of a Lego brick as a “plastic brick of the Lego brand”. The definition of Rockwool also identifies it as a registered trademark.

The Danish Language and Literature Society, which operates the two websites, seeks to have the case dismissed. It says the dictionary already notes that the word exists as a registered trademark in the plural form “Ostepops”.

The word was added to the dictionary in 2025. Orkla Snacks then asked for the definition to be changed, but the request was rejected. The company brought the case before the court at the end of December last year, according to its legal submission.