Sugar sues Corn Syrup

[BendtheBar]

Judge: Lawsuit over 'corn sugar' can go forward - Boston.com

LOS ANGELES—A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit seeking to stop the corn industry's use of the term "corn sugar" for high fructose corn syrup can go forward, a decision that the sugar industry lawyers who brought the suit said Saturday was "very encouraging."

U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall issued the ruling Friday in Los Angeles, allowing the false advertising suit brought by plaintiffs that include the Western Sugar Cooperative against the Corn Refiners Association to go forward.

"It is something we expected, we're not in the business of filing meritless or frivolous lawsuits," sugar industry attorney Adam Fox told The Associated Press.

[Livingitup48]

I don't understand how they can sue each other. Can someone please explain.

[Shadowschmadow]

People don't seem to understand that little retarded shit like this, is exactly what makes day to day life more difficult.

Whether it be the 2 people who got into a slight fender bender on the way home, and block traffic up for 2 hours because they expect to be sued and that the police are going to do the equivalent of a murder investigation, when all the police really care about is that you get your ass on the shoulder so no one accidentally runs into all of you. Or, it could be any contract you ever sign that practically gives you no rights because people have completely abused the system by filing suit for no reason. So now, when you actually get f*cked over, you can't do a damn thing about it.

My patience for retarded shit like this is growing thin...

[ONpump17]

I guess its good that someone is trying to stop them from changing words around just because people realized their product is sh.t for them...Though I doubt it will amount to anything.

[_J_]

Originally Posted by Livingitup48

I don't understand how they can sue each other. Can someone please explain.

I work in the legal field, so i'll give it a shot. I know how smart most of you are, so forgive my simple explanation.

The Corn People make "corn syrup" (CS) and "high fructose corn syrup" (HFCS). The Sugar People make sugar. Keep in mind that the Corn products directly compete in the marketplace with the Sugar product---ala, if more sugar is bought, it means less corn syrup is bought.

Well, CS and HFCS now have very bad connotations--the words carry a negative implication b/c so many publications (studies, etc) now say that CS and HFCS are worse for you than sugar (hence so many products, like sodas, are now laughably touting that they're made with "real sugar" as though the product is now healthier). The Sugar People are thrilled that the corn-based products carry such a bad reputation b/c it boosts the sales of sugar.

The Corn People decided to keep selling their products, but to rebrand them and distance them from the old bad connotations by calling them something else--"corn sugar"--and to run TV and magazine ads touting that your body can't tell the difference between "corn sugar" and sugar.

The Sugar People were pissed about it b/c if the "corn sugar" shook off the old negative vibe, it would mean lower sales for sugar. So the Sugar People sued, claiming that the Corn People are engaging in false advertising--that "corn sugar" isn't sugar at all. The Sugar People claim that the false advertising directly harms them b/c the consumer might get confused between the two products.

I hope this was helpful.