16 Times One Brand Copied Another — and Got Away With It
In the cutthroat business world, companies don’t just admire their competitors’ success, they often try to replicate it. Brands regularly “borrow” ideas from rivals, dancing on the edge between inspiration and outright theft. Though some copycats end up in court, many businesses have managed to imitate others with surprisingly minimal consequences.
Here is a list of 16 notable examples of brands copying competitors and largely escaping punishment. These examples highlight just how fuzzy the boundary between creative inspiration and blatant imitation can be.
Chobani vs. Fage
The American Greek yogurt scene belonged to Fage until Chobani showed up with suspiciously similar packaging and market positioning. After buying an abandoned yogurt factory, Chobani’s founder Hamdi Ulukaya quickly whipped up a Greek yogurt that mirrored Fage’s recipe and distinctive thickness.
Despite being an obvious follower rather than pioneer, Chobani surpassed Fage within five years to claim the top spot in America’s Greek yogurt market.
Aldi’s Lookalike Products
Products from the German supermarket giant Aldi that remarkably resemble well-known brands have helped the company build an empire. From the container form to the label colors, their Nutoka hazelnut spread closely resembles Nutella—it pretty well twins it.
Hundreds of products in their stores include colors, typefaces, and pictures that are reminiscent of well-known brands. By making just enough minor adjustments to avoid being accused of trademark infringement, they have managed to avoid legal issues.
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Zara’s Fashion “Inspirations”
Fast-fashion powerhouse Zara has earned quite a reputation for swiftly duplicating designer pieces—then selling them dirt cheap. Their entire business revolves around quickly translating runway concepts to retail floors—sometimes beating the original designers to market!
From Celine handbags to Christian Louboutin footwear, the Spanish retailer has faced surprisingly few successful lawsuits despite pumping out hundreds of apparent copies yearly.
Forever 21’s Designer Duplicates
Much like Zara, Forever 21 repeatedly churns out near-identical versions of high-end fashion designs. More than 50 designers—including heavyweights like Diane von Furstenberg, Anna Sui, and Gwen Stefani—have dragged the company to court for allegedly stealing their work.
Even with this litigation history, Forever 21 keeps producing copycat items, essentially treating occasional settlements as a mundane business expense in the fast-fashion game.
Xiaomi’s Apple Aesthetic
Chinese tech firm Xiaomi built its reputation by creating products that blatantly mimicked Apple’s look and functionality—but at wallet-friendly prices. Everything from their smartphones with rounded corners to their nearly identical store layouts earned them the nickname ‘Apple of China.’
Geographic distance coupled with China’s different intellectual property laws allowed Xiaomi to grow into a tech giant while maintaining this imitative approach.
Pinkberry vs. Red Mango
The frozen yogurt boom of the 2000s saw Pinkberry achieve tremendous success—though its concept looked remarkably like Red Mango, a Korean chain that came first. Both featured clean, minimalist white spaces, similar equipment, and that distinctive tart yogurt with fresh fruit toppings.
Though Red Mango launched globally earlier, Pinkberry expanded faster throughout America and became synonymous with the frozen yogurt trend despite following Red Mango’s established template.
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Burger King’s Big King vs. McDonald’s Big Mac
Burger King’s Big King sandwich—two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun—mirrors McDonald’s famous Big Mac in almost every detail. First showing up in the ’90s, the Big King has reappeared on Burger King menus several times over decades.
McDonald’s never seriously pursued legal action against this obvious duplicate, possibly recognizing that despite conceptual copying, the burger differed just enough to avoid trademark issues.
Sam’s Choice vs. Name Brands
Walmart’s Sam’s Choice brand has created countless products that clearly echo popular national brands. Their cola with red packaging resembles Coca-Cola, while their cereals feature characters suspiciously reminiscent of General Mills’ mascots.
These store-brand knockoffs typically employ similar color schemes and package layouts, creating immediate visual connections to the name brands they’re imitating.
Payless Designer Knockoffs
Budget footwear chain Payless consistently produced shoe designs nearly identical to luxury brands. They went beyond mere inspiration—some designs so closely matched originals that Payless faced lawsuits from companies like Adidas over three-stripe imitations.
Despite losing some legal battles, Payless maintained this strategy for decades, viewing occasional settlements as acceptable costs for the profits generated from selling designer-inspired shoes at bargain prices.
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VS Sassoon’s Dyson Lookalike
Following the release of Dyson’s groundbreaking Supersonic hair dryer with its unique circular design, VS Sassoon swiftly produced a remarkably similar product at half the price. Their dryer was similar to Dyson’s ground-breaking device in terms of color schemes and had the same round top.
Even though the internal technology was different, many customers were perplexed by the apparent similarity, which allowed VS Sassoon to profit from Dyson’s creative design effort.
Lucky Charms vs. Magic Stars
Malt-O-Meal’s Magic Stars cereal has successfully mimicked General Mills’ Lucky Charms for decades. From colorful marshmallows to oat pieces, Magic Stars transparently copies the more famous cereal. The packaging uses similar bright colors and magical themes.
Through careful avoidance of trademarked characters while maintaining nearly identical product experience, Magic Stars has thrived as a budget alternative without facing effective legal challenges.
Lexus’s Early Mercedes Inspirations
When Toyota launched Lexus in 1989, early models showed obvious similarities to Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The Lexus LS 400 incorporated design elements clearly inspired by the Mercedes S-Class, from similar profile lines to interior details.
Toyota’s strategy wasn’t subtle: offer Mercedes-like luxury and style at a lower price point. Despite obvious inspiration, Lexus avoided legal troubles and eventually developed its own design language after establishing itself in the luxury market.
Huawei’s Samsung Similarities
Chinese tech giant Huawei frequently releases products remarkably similar to Samsung’s offerings. Their smartphones, tablets, and user interfaces often follow Samsung’s lead by mere months or weeks.
The MatePad Pro tablet resembled Samsung’s Galaxy Tab so closely that tech reviewers universally commented on the similarities. International legal complexities and jurisdictional challenges have helped Huawei avoid significant consequences for these design decisions.
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Trader Joe’s Repackaged Products
Trader Joe’s popular store-brand items are often manufactured by the same companies that make name-brand products, just with different packaging. Their Pita Chips reportedly come from Stacy’s production lines, while their Joe-Joe’s cookies bear a striking resemblance to Oreos.
Though it is technically private labeling rather than copying, the outcome delivers nearly identical products at lower prices under the Trader Joe’s label, allowing them to benefit from others’ development work while avoiding research costs.
Crocs vs. Generic Clogs
Numerous manufacturers have manufactured nearly identical molded foam clogs since Crocs became famous. To prevent patent infringement, retailers ranging from Walmart to Amazon provide versions that closely resemble the iconic Crocs design with a few tweaks.
Crocs has successfully sued a few manufacturers, but complete enforcement is impossible because to the large quantity of copycats. In many markets, their unique design has become generic despite efforts to protect its intellectual property.
Sketchers’ Design “Homages”
Sketchers routinely creates shoes resembling popular designs from other manufacturers. Their Energy model shares striking similarities with Nike’s Air Max, while other offerings have mimicked everything from Vans to Adidas silhouettes.
Through careful modifications avoiding exact duplication, Sketchers has built a business partly on familiar-looking designs that evoke more expensive or trendy competitors, capturing market share from consumers seeking affordable alternatives to premium brands.
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The Fine Line Between Inspiration and Theft
The business landscape has always operated in gray areas regarding imitation. While outright counterfeiting faces harsh penalties, strategic copying with slight modifications has become standard practice across industries.
These 16 examples show how companies continue to profit from others’ innovations through careful imitation that barely stays within legal boundaries. For consumers, such practices create more affordable options, but original innovators face constant challenges protecting the competitive advantages their creativity should provide.
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