The New Cola Wars: Pepsi Sues Coke Over Sports-Drink Ads

The Coke vs. Pepsi Cola Wars continue both on store shelves and in court rooms. On Monday, Pepsi sued Coca-Cola, claiming that Coke is running ads for Powerade ION4 sports drinks that misrepresent the effectiveness of Gatorade, a PepsiCo product.gatorade_thirst_quencher_lime_and_grape_flavors_

According to the Wall Street Journal, the ads are currently running in print, on billboards, in-store displays and on a relaunched website. They say that Gatorade is missing two key electrolytes — calcium and magnesium. A Pepsi spokesperson was quoted in the Journal as saying, “The truth is, scientists say there is no evidence that Powerade ION4 is a more complete sports drink than Gatorade.”

Pepsi asked that the ads stop immediately, especially as “the biggest selling season for sports drinks is beginning.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, Pepsi and Coke have routinely challenged each other in court. In 2006, Pepsi sued Coke over its televsion ads for Powerade Option, a low-calorie sports drink. Coke settled out of court. In 2007, a federal judge dismissed a Coke lawsuit that charged Pepsi with patent infringement on a collapsible bag that dispenses syrup for fountain sodas.

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