Business Notes Retailing

Trivia question for ice cream lovers: What is the difference between Pralines 'N Cream and Pralines & Cream? Answer: Pralines 'N Cream is a registered trademark of Baskin-Robbins, the flourishing Glendale, Calif., company (1984 sales: $152 million) that has franchised 3,143 ice cream shops worldwide. Pralines & Cream is a flavor sold by Haagen-Dazs, the successful (1984 sales: $100 million) ice cream subsidiary of Pillsbury. The similarity of the two brand names has spurred Baskin-Robbins to sue Haagen Dazs for trademark infringement. A Dallas federal court is considering the case, not without some amusement. Says a court clerk: "It's embarrassing to see these grown men carrying on about ice cream."

But the two sides are serious. Baskin-Robbins says that it sold 3 million gallons of Pralines 'N Cream in the U.S. last year, making it the company's No. 1 flavor. Haagen Dazs says it will "vigorously defend the lawsuit" and "aggressively pursue cancellation" of the trademark. Haagen Dazs contends that pralines and cream is a generic name that should be available to all companies, just like chocolate chip and butter pecan.