Dough-Vo (L) and Vo-Vo (R)

An Australian biscuit company has threatened legal action against US chain Krispy Kreme if does not stop selling its Iced Dough-Vo doughnut.

Arnott believes the product is almost identical to its own Iced Vo-Vo biscuit, and breaches trademarks registered in 1906. Krispy Kreme has been given until the end of today to withdraw its doughnut, but has refused to comply.

The Iced Vo-Vo biscuit is much loved by many generations of Australians.

It is topped with pink fondant, strawberry jam and sprinkled with coconut.

Krispy Kreme’s Iced Dough-Vo, part of the chain’s limited edition of Australian-themed treats, is filled with raspberry jam and topped with pink icing and coconut.

But the head of the US chain’s Australian arm, John McGuigan, remains indignant.

I think people know the difference between a doughnut and a biscuit,” he said.

You’d think so, wouldn’t you?




  1. Faxon says:

    If I wanted to have a snack with coconut and jam, I might buy a Krispy Kreme instead of the original VO VO, that’s why this is a potential infringement, despite the fact they are different products.
    How about a Vegemite donut?

  2. Hugh Ripper says:

    8 out of 10 cops say they cant tell the difference

  3. jpd says:

    I wonder if they use “High Fructose Corn Syrup” in them?

  4. Violation of terms of donut police says:

    I ate the pixels in the picture and couldn’t tell the difference.

  5. Cursor_ says:

    Sounds like the product enjoyed by countless aussies since 1906 may be running out of consumers due to age and sees this as a threat as it probably tastes a WHOLE lot better.

    The pic of these so-called favourite of aussies looks like try old shortbread with pink sugar glue and dried old coconut.

    The doughnut doesn’t look much better.

    Cursor_

  6. campbellm says:

    Meh. Never liked Iced VoVos much. They always tasted like they were baked in 1906 to me.

    OTOH – how hard would it have been for KK to pick up the phone and sort something out with Arnott’s before it got to the point that KK look like a bunch of wanton renegade imperialists? It can only damage the (perceived) reputation of KK as far as Australian’s are concerned…

  7. deowll says:

    They should have left the vo out of the name.

    It’s just a sugar coated doughnut with some jam and a lump of more sugar and some coconut shreds on it.

    Nobody should eat that much sugar at one go.

    I’d avoid both products.

  8. Special Ed says:

  9. Mr. Fusion says:

    I see the infringment. KK should not have used the name “Vo”. They are capitalizing off of the biscuit’s name.

  10. JC Wise says:

    Let’s see… dark stripe between two lighter stripes evokes a crevasse, coconut as hair, “Vo-Vo”(?)….
    Can you say “yonic”?


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