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A Bounty may be instantly recognisable by its wrapper, but inside it is just another chocolate bar. That was the verdict of European judges yesterday in a ruling refusing permission for Mars, maker of Bounty, to register the shape of the bar as a trademark.

The European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg declared: “The allegedly distinctive characteristics, namely the rounded ends of the bar and the three arrows or chevrons on top of it, cannot be sufficiently distinguished from other shapes commonly used for chocolate bars.”