Our Brief Hazelnut Nightmare Is Over: Ferrero Bestows Its Blessing On World Nutella Day

Remember when that pack of slavering corporate lawyers went after a helpless World Nutella Day, hounding it through the woods and nipping at its heels, trying to silence its delicious message forever? Hush now, that was aaaaall a bad dream, since Ferrero has called off its ravenous legal team and decided to let World Nutella Day live on.

We were scared too, not knowing why anyone would want to shut down a celebration of something so delicious. The founder of World Nutella Day dismayed fans earlier this week when she announced that the annual Feb. 5 event wouldn’t happen and that she’d been ordered to take down her site, after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the Ferrero overlords.

But now everything is bright and sunshiney again, as Ferrero explained to Businessweek that this was all just one big misunderstanding. See, the company’s lawyers just have a sort of reflex when it comes to infringement. Using the word Nutella for an event apparently triggered that response, says the company in a statement:

“The case arose from a routine brand defense procedure that was activated as a result of some misuse of the Nutella brand on the fan page. Ferrero is pleased to announce that today, after contacting [the founder] and finding together the appropriate solutions, it immediately stopped the previous action.”

As such, the founder of the joyous celebration has updated her fellow Nutella lovers on her site, writing:

I’m relieved to say there’s been a positive resolution to the situation. Ferrero employees reached out to me directly after I had posted my fan letter online and sent my formal reply to their C&D. They were very gracious and supportive and we were able to have a productive discussion about World Nutella Day living on for the fans, which is the whole point.

I believe they were truly interested in resolving the situation in a way that preserved the spirit of the fan-run holiday. I’m satisfied with the turn of events, and I hope to celebrate many more World Nutella Days with you. See you on February 5th!

We’ll be there with bells on. Bells filled with Nutella.

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