Double Double Your Caffeine Dependency
By Margaret Lyons in News on Aug 31, 2004 3:32PM
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., the worlds largest gum company, is suing GumRunners for patent infringement. GumRunners, based in New Jersey, produces Jolt Gum, a caffeine-energy gum that Wrigley claims infringes on its 2002 patent for caffeine-coated gum. Wrigley isnt selling that gum, and it has stopped selling Stay Alert gum, which was caffeine-laced. But the lawsuits still on.
Yeah, Wrigley, litigious, etc., but all this funky Willy Wonka-esque gum innovation is pretty awesome. Heart-burn relief gum? Biodegradable gum? Viagra gum? Theyre not on the shelves yet (the heartburn one got yanked because it wasn't popular), but Wrigley has the patents and theyre not afraid to sue you over them. Wow, having an oral fixation could be so much more rewarding!
Hm, gum has been on the up-and-up with high-end luxury gums like Orbit and Everest, plus the Altoid gum is extremely delicious There's Airwaves gum which is supposed to help you breathe (ew, right?) and comes in Spicy Cocktail flavor, and Alpine coughdrop gum, which sounds like it taste like throw-up. 
Were still sensing a lack of creativity on the part of gum trendsetters. Lets spice this up a little and have a contest: best idea for new gum gets a Gmail invite at the end of the day. Does anyone even still care about that? We know Gmail is losing/has lost its cachet, but we dont really have anything else to give away, and little contests are pretty fun.