Coca-Cola Threaten Coca Pola

The Coca-Cola Company are threatening to sue a small Colombian business unless they change the name of one of their beverages. 

In a letter seen by AFP on Thursday, the American multinational asked Coca Nasa – operated by members of the indigenous Nasa community – to “cease and desist permanently from using the name Coca Pola or any similar term that could be confused with the commercial brands” owned by them. 

Their use “could violate the trademark law in Colombia” and “the law on unfair competition”, warned the letter by law firm Brigard Castro dated November 26. 

David Curtidor, Coca Nasa’s legal officer, told AFP this was not the first time that the drinks giant had threatened the company with legal action. 

“We will go as far as Coca-Cola takes us. We will dance to whatever tune they play. If they threaten us with our very existence, we will resist”, he said. 

Coca-Cola had addressed the letter to Tierra de Indio, a distributor of the drink, and gave them 10 working days to respond. 

“They will probably take legal action on Tuesday or Wednesday, which is when the warning period expires… unless we stop using the term Coca Pola”, Curtidor said. 

“And since we are not going to stop using it, we will wait for the lawsuit and respond”, he added. “We are not afraid of them”.

Sadly, Coca-Cola are a bully! 

Coca Pola is the name given to the local beer brewed with coca leaf. It’s a logical name. Coca is the diminutive form of the coca leaf and Pola means beer in Colombia. 

The Coca Nasa company produce traditional medicine, drinks and other products from the coca leaf.