World Swedish meatballs have long been associated with the obvious host country in their namesake, but Sweden shocked social media users and foodies alike this weekend by claiming they’re from Turkey. Sweden’s official Twitter account @swedense issued the following meatball bombshell this weekend, “Swedish meatballs are actually based on a recipe King Charles XII brought home from Turkey in the early 18th century. Let’s stick to the facts!” In addition to the culinary history lesson, many responders on Twitter began fearing that the Scandinavian chain IKEA may stop serving the dish at stores. Swedish meatballs are actually based on a recipe King Charles XII brought home from Turkey in the early 18th century. Let's stick to the facts! pic.twitter.com/JuTDEjq9MM— Sweden.se (@swedense) April 28, 2018 The Anadoly Agency and other Turkish news outlets immediately lauded the announcement as a “confession," noting that King Charles … [Read more...] about Sweden’s Twitter Says Swedish Meatballs Are Actually From Turkey, IKEA Criticized
Poire ikea
Chinese Media Hounds Ikea for Treating Taiwan Like a Country
Swedish furniture company Ikea is the latest Western corporation facing pressure to comply with China’s speech codes, as Chinese media and Internet users assail the company for treating Taiwan like a separate company on its website. The situation is similar to the way China forced Western airlines to change their websites so Taiwan does not appear in menu selections as if it were an independent country. Even U.S. carriers explicitly encouraged to resist by the White House eventually capitulated and changed their websites to treat Taiwan as a province of China or list Taipei as a city without a country.The South China Morning Post explained on Tuesday that Chinese media trained a spotlight on Ikea’s shipping and product labels, which ostensibly violate the “One China” principle by listing Taiwan and Hong Kong as if they were separate countries. Chinese social media dutifully went nuts over the perceived slight: Mainland internet users added to pressure on the … [Read more...] about Chinese Media Hounds Ikea for Treating Taiwan Like a Country
IKEA’s Way to Eternal Life: A Deconstruction of the Furniture Giant’s International Tax Practices
Since its first store in Sweden in 1958, IKEA has rapidly become an international household name. The large Swedish flag-inspired blue and yellow buildings are a beacon for anyone searching for a wide selection of affordable modern furniture for varying tastes. On its face, IKEA appears as any other large corporation that has taken the world by storm but with a few notable exceptions. Firstly, the physical IKEA stores and business operations are owned by an untaxed two-pronged nonprofit foundation in the Netherlands: the Stichting INGKA Foundation and the Stichting IKEA Foundation. Secondly, the IKEA Concept and IKEA trademark rights are owned by Inter IKEA Systems B.V., which is operated through a variety of companies based in the Dutch Antilles, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein that are all controlled by IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad himself and his three sons through the untaxed Interogo Foundation. Thirdly, Kamprad moved from his hometown in Sweden to … [Read more...] about IKEA’s Way to Eternal Life: A Deconstruction of the Furniture Giant’s International Tax Practices
Massive Consumer Product Safety Commission IKEA Recall Leaked to Press by “CPSC Source” Prior to Official Agency Announcement
Today the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) and Health Canada announced a massive joint recall with IKEA involving over 35 million pieces of furniture that can pose a tip over hazard to small children. While we would normally write about the recall itself, a troubling development has caught our attention. A CPSC employee prematurely leaked the recall to staff reporter Tricia Nadolny at the Philadelphia Enquirer.The CPSC and IKEA officially announced the recall this morning, but the Philadelphia Enquirer prematurely broke the story yesterday afternoon. The reporter confirmed in the story that her source works for the CPSC and did not have clearance to discuss the recall publicly. Additionally, the story included quotes from consumer advocates and other interested parties reacting to the recall—indicating that the reporter had the information for a decent amount of time prior to publishing the story.After the Enquirer article was published, multiple … [Read more...] about Massive Consumer Product Safety Commission IKEA Recall Leaked to Press by “CPSC Source” Prior to Official Agency Announcement
IKEA Indonesia Case Highlights the Importance of Prudent Management of International Trademark Portfolios
Last month, the Supreme Court of Indonesia announced its decision canceling two of Swedish furniture giant IKEA’s trademark registrations for its brand name in International Trademark Classes 20 (furniture) and 21 (household containers), and declaring that a local company had superior rights to the mark in those Classes. The decision underscores the importance for companies with multinational trademark portfolios to make sure they actually use their marks in each jurisdiction or, if they do not, to punctually re-file new trademark applications for unused marks. It is especially important to carefully monitor trademark portfolios in many jurisdictions in Asia and Latin America, where permissive rules and lack of oversight increase the risk that bad-faith applicants may attempt to register multinational companies’ well-known marks.IKEA opened its first Indonesian store outside of Jakarta in October 2014. However, it has long maintained an Indonesian trademark portfolio … [Read more...] about IKEA Indonesia Case Highlights the Importance of Prudent Management of International Trademark Portfolios