Did you know about 100 years of war over Mozartkugeln?

Furst family Mozartkugeln: 130 years since first
Mocart ball

We all remember how dispute between Montagues and Capulets insidiously bittered sweet love between Romeo and Juliet. Little did Shakespeare know that the name of "Mozartkugeln" chocolate balls would be capable of invoking major dispute between other two families to the epic proportions that even the governments of two countries got involved and had to intervene. This is how the story goes.
Salzburg, Austria is the birthplace of one of the greatest composers of all the times: Volfgang Amadeus Mozart. But Mozart himself had really nothing to do with Salzburg Mozartkugeln as they were discovered some hundred years after he died. Discovered by whom?

Paul Furst and his staff

Somewhere in 1890, a local candy store owner in Salzburg experimented with pistachio marzipan, fine dark chocolate and some nougat mixture. His name was Paul Furst. Paul was delighted when finally discovered right proportion of ingredients that tasted just as he expected. Those unique chocolate balls soon became famous in Salzburg under the name "Mozart Bonbon". Originally, Mozart Bonbons were served on a wooden stick - something like lollipop. In the year of 1905. Paul takes part in great European candies exhibition in Paris and returns home with gold medal for Mozart Bonbon. The popularity of the "Mozarts" starts to rise with geometric progression and Paul makes a contract with Rajsigl Company for high scale manufacture production of his candy. Some years later, after The World War II, this manufacture became famous Mirabell company.

Mirabell Mozart ball available in USA

The time of the starting of the manufacture in Rajsigl is the time when the name "Mozartkugeln" first appeared in public. And while everything seemed like huge business success, Paul forgets one thing that will later turn out to be of huge importance: he forgets to put the patent on his invention...
Before he even considered legal protection of Mozartkugeln trademark, Austrian market has been flooded with Mozartkugeln from numerous confectioneries.

Meanwhile, ten miles from Salzburg but from the other side of border with Germany, a powerful Reber starts production of Mozartkugeln under the same name, but with slightly different recipe.
German confectionery company
The war came and Paul Furst dies in 1941 leaving the company to his family.
After the war, the members of Furst family have been initiating numerous court procedures against plagiatory usage of Mozartkugeln brand name: first in Salzburg, then in Austria and afterwords in Germany against Reber company. At one point even Nestle got involved. That's where the dispute reached the highest political level: negotiations of Austrian and German government representatives in 1981.

Original Reber Mozart-Kugeln available in USA

The final result has been reached when the highest economy administratives from European Union made decision that Mirabel may use the name “Genuine Salzburg Mozartkugeln”, while Reber may use "Genuine Reber Mozart-Kugeln" with mandatory dash in the name.
Today, several companies produce Mozartkugeln, but only Mirabell Mozartkugeln are made according to original Paul Furst's recipe.