Harry Popper condoms sued by Warner Brothers
The packaging of the contraception shows a cartoon-like condom with round-rimmed Harry Potter-style glasses waving a magic wand.
The Hollywood studio is taking legal action against Magic X, the manufacturers, for copyright infringement.
The Cantonal Court in Schwyz will rule in the coming weeks on whether to ban the product.
“The image of my client is in danger,” said a lawyer for Warner Bros. “This is clearly a reference to the film and fictional character Harry Potter.
Everyone who sees the condoms automatically thinks of Harry Potter.”
The lawyer for Magic X said: “Our product has nothing to do with Harry Potter.” The brand was launched in 2006 and the name was registered with Swissreg, the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.
More than 400 million Harry Potter books, by author J.K. Rowling, have been sold.
The first six books have been made into films by Warner Brothers. It is the highest grossing film series in history.
The seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is being made into two films. Part I will be shown in cinemas from November 19 and the series finale is set to hit the screens in July 2011.
The series has originated an immense amount of tie-in merchandise and the Harry Potter brand is estimated to be worth £15 billion.
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