By James Tozer PUBLISHED: 03:56 EST, 5 July 2013 | UPDATED: 15:09 EST, 5 July 2013 For more than three-quarters of a century, a four-fingered  chocolate bar meant you were eating a KitKat. But shoppers could now be offered an alternative after a legal battle over whether the shape of the snack is a trademark. Nestlé wanted to register the four-finger KitKat design in a bid that was resisted by Cadbury. Iconic design: But Nestle has lost an attempt to trademark the four-fingered shape in the UK However the Intellectual Property Office ruled against the Swiss firm on the grounds that consumers identified KitKats primarily by their bright red packaging.
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IPO rules that the bar's distinctive shape cannot be trademarked in UK
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Decision leaves the way clear for Cadbury to launch similar chocolate bar
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KitKat shape already trademarked in the EU, leaving tricky legal situation
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