"Sometime between the beginning of this century and the First World War, various companies in the United States began exporting a type of flat, square soda cracker to Puerto Rico. During the 1920's, at least one of these companies, National Biscuit, identified its product with a label bearing the term "Export Sodas". During this period, a Puerto Rican bakery was also manufacturing this type of cracker and advertising it under the name "Sport Sodas".

#cracker #history

Apparently Keebler attempted to exert Trademark rights over what was ruled to be a generic term in Puerto Rico:

"The district court found that before Keebler had begun using "Export Sodas" as a trademark, the terms "export sodas" and "sport sodas" had come to mean in the minds of Puerto Rican consumers soda crackers of this particular type. The court concluded, as a matter of law, that "export soda" was a generic term, not entitled to appropriation as a trademark, and therefore ordered cancellation of Keebler's registration. "

#crackers #colonialism #PuertoRico #trademark #legal #law