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  • December 1993 (Revised August 1998)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Bitter Competition: The Holland Sweetener Company versus NutraSweet (A)

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  • | Pages:14
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Abstract

The NutraSweet Co. has very successfully marketed aspartame, a low-calorie, high-intensity sweetener, around the world. NutraSweet's position was protected by patents until 1987 in Europe, Canada, and Japan, and until the end of 1992 in the United States. The case series describes the competition that ensued between NutraSweet and the Holland Sweetener Co. (HSC) following HSC's entry into the aspartame market in 1987. Describes the subsequent move and countermove in both the marketplace and the courts. Also, discusses the business "game" that takes place at both the tactical and value levels. Ends with the final countdown to the expiration of NutraSweet's U.S. patent.

Keywords

Patents; Competitive Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Canada; Japan; United States; Europe

Citation

Brandenburger, Adam M., and Julia Kou. "Bitter Competition: The Holland Sweetener Company versus NutraSweet (A)." Harvard Business School Case 794-079, December 1993. (Revised August 1998.)
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