page_title: Pepero
section_title: Controversy
hierarchical_section_title: Pepero / Controversy
caption_attribution_description: Sticks of Pocky. A biscuit stick covered in chocolate that is popular in its native Japan.
context_page_description: Pepero is a cookie stick, dipped in compound chocolate, manufactured by Lotte Confectionery in South Korea since 1983.
context_section_description: Pepero is "strikingly similar" to the Japanese snack Pocky which is manufactured by the Japanese confectionery company Glico since 1966. When Pepero was introduced in 1983, Glico considered taking action against what it considered a copycat snack but found it would be difficult, because Pocky was not sold in Korea. As such Pepero has been claimed to be a Korean version of Pocky, Lotte denies that it was inspired by the product.
  In 2014, Glico sued Lotte which allegedly copied packaging box design of Glico's Baton d'or exclusive series of Pocky and Pretz for Lotte's new product Premier Pepero. On 14 August 2015, Seoul district court ruled that Lotte stole the box design of Glico's products and the ruling is expected to force Lotte to halt its sales of the product and dispose of the existing stock.
  On July 10, 2015, Glico filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court against Lotte USA for infringing on the trademarks of Pocky. Glico had registered the Pocky's three-dimensional trademarks prior to the launch of Pepero in the U.S.
caption: Pocky was first released by Ezaki Glico, a Japanese confectionery company, in 1966, 17 years before the introduction of Pepero.
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