Poland Spring faces lawsuit from competitor
Maine Springs, a Poland-based bottled water business, has filed a lawsuit against the parent company of the Poland Spring brand of bottled water, accusing it of false advertising.
The Portland Press Herald reported that Maine Springs filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Portland against parent company Nestlé Waters on Monday, claiming that the “100% Natural Spring Water” mark on its plastic water bottle labels is untrue.
The company — which was founded in 2007 by John Juliano and has legal access to the Poland Spring water source, along with the equipment and facilities necessary to start bottling operations — alleged it has previously received legal threats from Nestlé, stating that it would infringe upon the Poland Spring brand if Maine Springs began bottling water. As part of the lawsuit, Maine Springs is seeking to have the ability to list Poland Spring as a water source on its bottles.
In response, a Nestlé spokeswoman told the Press Herald that the lawsuit is “meritless” and that the company would pursue “all appropriate remedies.” She added that Maine Springs previously threatened to sue if Nestlé didn’t “buy water from [the company] for $200 million.”
A lawyer for Maine Springs told the newspaper he wasn’t familiar with the claim and indicated that it would be unlikely that his client ever made such a threat.
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