Coca-Cola Co.

$52.06

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Coca-Cola Co. is being sued by a Chicago businessman who claims the company stole his idea for Zero-brand no-calorie drinks.

Mirza Baig started selling "Naturally Zero" Canadian spring water 10 years ago and offered to sell his business to Coca-Cola less than two years before that company began marketing Sprite Zero, he said in a complaint filed in Chicago federal court Thursday.

"Coca-Cola's acts were undertaken in bad faith," Baig said in a complaint accusing the company of stealing his branding idea after he approached Coca-Cola executives. Baig seeks a court order barring Coca-Cola from using Zero in connection with its sale of Coke, Sprite or other drinks, plus Coca-Cola's profit from its sales of Zero-branded beverages.

"We do not believe that Mr. Baig or his company have any valid claims against the Coca-Cola Co.," spokesman Ray Crockett said in an e-mailed statement.

Coca-Cola sued June 12 in an Atlanta federal court, asking for a finding that it wasn't infringing on the businessman's rights.

—- Bloomberg News

Paint trend favors big retailers

Longbow Research analyst Dmitry Silversteyn, based in Independence, Ohio, says that do-it-yourself customers pushed up the sale of paints in June at selected big-box retailers.

According to his research, paint sales improved further in June on the heels of improvements in May driven by normal seasonality.

Promotional activity around the Fourth of July weekend also gave a strong start to July sales, he found.

However, specialized paint stores such as Sherwin-Williams showed weakness in June compared with a year ago as professional contractors continue to suffer from the housing downturn.

—- Rachel Tobin Ramos