Battle of the Bunnies

For 50 years, Hauswirth's doe-eyed bunny had been the centerpiece of local Easter baskets, eagerly awaited and equally eagerly devoured.

But the bunny's luck changed in 2004, when Lindt insisted Hauswirth was infringing trademark rights by producing the sitting bunny, covered in gold foil with a ribbon around its neck.

"I do not understand this dispute," said Roman Hauswirth, head of the family-run company. "Lindt's bunnies are made for adults, while our products are solely geared towards children."

Replacing the red ribbon around the Hauswirth bunny's neck with a red-white-red ribbon in Austria's national colours did not pacify chocolate producer Lindt, who in 2000 trademarked its golden Easter bunny.

Hauswirth, which produces 25 different varieties of Easter bunnies, cannot risk to sell its golden bunny to wholesale traders and supermarkets for the danger of risking Lindt's wrath.

Court ruling

In 2004 an Austrian court ruled in favour of the local chocolate makers, but as Lindt contested the ruling the next round has to be fought out at Austria's High Court, which is expected pass a ruling this summer.

Lindt is convinced their bunny is the one and only original with Hauswirth plagiarizing the long-eared delicacy.

Hauswirth's annual production of around 300,000 bunnies of all shapes and sizes is small fish compared with the approximately five million Lindt bunnies grinning from shelves worldwide in the weeks ahead of the Easter holidays.

"I have nothing against Lindt - they make great products. But I am against the ruthless way they treat the competition. This is why I fight against them. It is a matter of principle," Hauswirth said, but added that he would be glad when things were over.