When it became apparent single-cup brewers would dominate the coffee landscape, several manufacturers filed patents that Nestlé claimed infringed on their original coffee capsule design.
Turns out Société des Produits Nestlé was right.
In May 2015 the Swiss brought all their guns to bear on Fast Eurocafé, SA, a capsule manufacturer that patented a Dolce Gusto look-alike. Nestle failed to convince the Barcelona Commercial Court to halt production, a decision that opened the floodgates for hundreds of manufacturers making pods compatible with the Nescafé system.
Two years later Nestle’s lonely pursuit of justice paid off when the Barcelona Court of Appeals revoked the lower court order and enforced the preliminary injunction. The decision is final which will force Fast Eurocafé to abandon their design. It is not clear how the ruling will impact thousands of firms that patented their own versions of the popular capsules.