Have you been a victim of identity theft, where your good name or property is stolen? If so, you know the effect on your peace of mind and the injury and stress that ensues. That is what happened to Percy Crosby, creator of the famous SKIPPY character, when a bankrupt California food company misappropriated SKIPPY for peanut butter during the Great Depression, falsely telling stores and consumers that it had Crosby’s “permission”.
Although Skippy, Inc. sued Rosefield Packing Co., Ltd., and won a 1934 decision in the U.S. Patent Office that prohibited Rosefield from registering a federal trademark for SKIPPY peanut butter, they ignored the decision and secretly took over Skippy’s business.
That was many years ago, but Skippy’s battle to protect his identity from being converted to a brand name peanut butter continues. Rosefield became a millionaire when it went public, not disclosing the name was stolen. In 1955, Rosefield sold its SKIPPY business to Best Foods, Inc., which remained silent. Years of sham lawsuits followed, designed to intimidate Crosby’s heirs into silence and surrender. In 2000, Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch multi-billion dollar conglomerate bought the stolen SKIPPY name, and continued to keep Skippy tied up in court, denying all fraud allegations and liability.
Why does Unilever want Skippy’s web site to disappear and spends millions of dollars in ads, coupons and sweepstakes to deceive the public that its SKIPPY brand is unique and “famous” since 1933? Read the story of Percy Crosby’s life, Bestfoods and Unilever tried to suppress that has attracted readers worldwide.
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Consumer Fraud Alert!