Jump to content
The Official Site of the Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Community

Oakville man spots 'Tim Mortons' coffee in South Korea


Mr. Ambien

  

4 members have voted

You do not have permission to vote in this poll, or see the poll results. Please sign in or register to vote in this poll.

Recommended Posts

B822066138Z.1_20150813083434_000_G7B1HFB

Tim Hortons knock-off 'Tim Mortons' coffee spotted by Oakville native Mike Elgar at street market in South Korean capital, Seoul

Mike Elgar says he was fooled, but only for a split second.

The instant coffee that caught the eye of the Oakville native at a street market in South Korea was not, in fact, Tim Hortons.

"I was a bit shocked and I had to laugh," he told the Star over the phone Wednesday about his discovery, which he shared on Instagram earlier this week.

A yellow coffee package was being sold on the street in the Dongdaemun Market shopping district in Seoul. It had the same red, cursive letters distinctive of Tim Hortons, Elgar said.

But instead of the Canadian favourite, this coffee was dubbed "Tim Mortons." Mortons, with an M.

"I was going to buy it for sure . . . but it was just generic (South Korean) instant coffee packs," he said.

An English teacher at an academy in Suwon, a town about 30 km outside the capital, Elgar, who has been in South Korea for six months, spotted the coffee while on a weekend visit to Seoul.

He added that he thought it may have been related to a coffee shop called "Tim House," which was spotted in the city earlier this year with a sign that looked very similar to Tim Hortons.

"We're thrilled to see that the Tim Hortons brand is loved and recognized around the world, but we're always vigilant when it comes to protecting our intellectual property, especially as we expand internationally," Tim Hortons Public Affairs Director Michelle Robichaud told the Star in an email.

The company currently does not operate any stores in South Korea. "We will continue to take the necessary steps to protect our trademarks," Robichaud said, without elaborating.

"I was kind of hoping it was Tim Hortons because that would have been amazing to get a bunch of packs of those," Elgar said about his find.

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5796248-oakville-man-spots-tim-mortons-coffee-in-south-korea/

Besides wondering why companies like this are allowed to commit IP crimes (didn't we just recently sign some retarded FTA with SK?), I wonder why they'd knock off Tim's of all things.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dont understand how Tim Horton's on its own can possibly be a profitable business, never mind doppelgangers.

It's marketing, obviously. Actually what these Koreans are doing is the same as what Tim Horton's does (well obviously, but I mean in the big picture). They're capitalizing on Koreans' nostalgia for the West, while Tim Horton's capitalizes on Canadians' nostalgia for themselves.

Sometimes I wonder if there's an authentic pasta company in Italy could "Chef Boyardi" and we just don't know that our version is a ripoff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...