We've seen a variety of Japanese Kit Kats that are localized with numerous limited-edition flavors, so it shouldn't be too shocking to see that other snack-makers have adopted similar strategies for their products. Here are just some interesting takes on the Oreo cookie.

• Chinese Oreos are NOT what you'd expect if you grew up in the US. Kraft localized Oreos for the Chinese palate, and Chinese Oreos can be found with green tea flavored filling.. and in rectangular-shaped cookies. [url]
• There are a bunch of recipes for homemade Oreos on the internets. Rolling your own Oreos allows you to make them any size you want... (and vegan if you wish). [url]
• The Oreo turns 100 years old this year on March 6th. That's a pretty long history of "twist, lick and dunk" -- and Kraft is celebrating with a limited edition of Birthday Cake Oreos. [url]
• To discover more food-related links, check out what's floating around in StumbleUpon. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

I haven't had Kraft Mac & Cheese since I was a kid, and had no idea it went under different names in different countries. Apparently, up in Canada, it's called the Kraft Dinner or KD for short, where it's apparently even more iconic than in the US (where it's still pretty iconic). Either way, Kraft is upset. That's because a cooking instructor in Calgary, who had set up a free cooking class for students called "Kick the KD," is apparently violating its trademarks (via Rob Hyndman) -- and, yes, the company trademarked "KD." I don't know how different trademark law in Canada is compared to the US, but this seems like a pretty specious claim. First of all, there's no use in commerce. It's a free cooking-class put on by a non-profit. Second, there's no likelihood of confusion going on here, because it's not like anyone hearing about the Kick the KD is going to think it's associated with or sponsored by Kraft when the whole point is to get people to think about actually cooking their meals, rather than just breaking out a box of "KD" (I'm picking up the lingo). Now, of course, you can understand why it might upset Kraft that there's a class being taught to students about how to cook beyond the near instant simplicity of its Mac & Cheese, but that doesn't make it a trademark violation. Still, the class's instructor doesn't want to fight Kraft, so he's changing the name. Trademark bullies chalk up another win.

We're seeing more and more consumer brands getting involved in the music business. In parts of Asia this sort of thing has become a lot more common, but we're seeing it more and more in the west as well, such as when Tag body spray started its own record label, or when Groove Armada signed with Bacardi, rather than a record label. Now, Raimund Ostrowski points us to this story about Kraft Canada, which, in an attempt to revive the Triscuits brand, had a musician in Toronto write a 30-second song for a commercial. The commission was then expanded into a full 3 minute song which is getting airplay on the radio and can even be bought at iTunes. While (understandably!) some may not like this sort of commercialization of music, it does show yet again the many other business models that can show up to help pay for the creation of music.