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In the UK, there was a similar court case over whether Jaffa Cakes were actually cakes or biscuits/cookies. The wikipedia page lists the 'factors' that went int

In the UK, there was a similar court case over whether Jaffa Cakes were actually cakes or biscuits/cookies. The wikipedia page lists the 'factors' that went into the decision: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa_Cakes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa_Cakes

wmf 10y ago
And a PlayStation is a computer made by Sony Computer Entertainment: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/11/07/sony_adds_basic_to_playstation/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/11/07/sony_adds_basic_to_p... It looks like Sony lost that argument, though.
toomanybeersies 10y ago
Didn't Pringles also argue that they were cakes? There was also a case in Australia, where they was a court case over some fancy Italian crackers/bread, as to whether they were crackers or bread. They had exactly the same ingredients as bread (probably not in the same proportions though), yet a slightly different process. [0] This is why in New Zealand GST (goods and services tax) is a blanket tax on all goods and services provided in New Zealand. It's not worth the cost and overhead to start making rules and exceptions as to what consists a cake or bread. http://www.smh.com.au/national/fair-crack-of-the-biscuit-is-this-mini-ciabatte-a-bread-20100101-llrx.html http://www.smh.com.au/national/fair-crack-of-the-biscuit-is-...
walrus01 10y ago
There was also a legal case about why x-men dolls are not human figures... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Biz,_Inc._v._United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Biz,_Inc._v._United_Stat...
ajdlinux 10y ago
In Australia, we recently had a case over whether a "Ripstick" was a "skateboard", "snakeboard" or "caster board": http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/aat/2013/730.html http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/aat/2013/730.html
bigiain 10y ago
The US "are tomatos fruits or vegetables" was always the "canonical example" of the legal/tax system interpreting words with fixed technical meanings in opposite but finacially-beneficial-to-the-government ways. (any botanist will tell you a tomato is not a vegetable, and neither is a longbean... But we'll tax them both as vegetables, not fruits ot legumes, "just because"...)
- crististm 10y ago
  I remember quite recently what we've been taught at middle school: Fruits are the product of a flower, period. Vegetables are plants cultivated for consumption. So yes, tomatoes are fruits but because they are cultivated they are also vegetables. Some distinctions need to be applied as well (are apples only fruits or vegetables as well?)
- TorKlingberg 10y ago
  Do botanists use the term "vegetable" at all?

wmf 10y ago

And a PlayStation is a computer made by Sony Computer Entertainment: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/11/07/sony_adds_basic_to_playstation/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/11/07/sony_adds_basic_to_p... It looks like Sony lost that argument, though.

toomanybeersies 10y ago

Didn't Pringles also argue that they were cakes? There was also a case in Australia, where they was a court case over some fancy Italian crackers/bread, as to whether they were crackers or bread. They had exactly the same ingredients as bread (probably not in the same proportions though), yet a slightly different process. [0] This is why in New Zealand GST (goods and services tax) is a blanket tax on all goods and services provided in New Zealand. It's not worth the cost and overhead to start making rules and exceptions as to what consists a cake or bread. http://www.smh.com.au/national/fair-crack-of-the-biscuit-is-this-mini-ciabatte-a-bread-20100101-llrx.html http://www.smh.com.au/national/fair-crack-of-the-biscuit-is-...

walrus01 10y ago

There was also a legal case about why x-men dolls are not human figures... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Biz,_Inc._v._United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Biz,_Inc._v._United_Stat...

ajdlinux 10y ago

In Australia, we recently had a case over whether a "Ripstick" was a "skateboard", "snakeboard" or "caster board": http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/aat/2013/730.html http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/aat/2013/730.html

bigiain 10y ago

The US "are tomatos fruits or vegetables" was always the "canonical example" of the legal/tax system interpreting words with fixed technical meanings in opposite but finacially-beneficial-to-the-government ways. (any botanist will tell you a tomato is not a vegetable, and neither is a longbean... But we'll tax them both as vegetables, not fruits ot legumes, "just because"...)

crististm 10y ago
I remember quite recently what we've been taught at middle school: Fruits are the product of a flower, period. Vegetables are plants cultivated for consumption. So yes, tomatoes are fruits but because they are cultivated they are also vegetables. Some distinctions need to be applied as well (are apples only fruits or vegetables as well?)
TorKlingberg 10y ago
Do botanists use the term "vegetable" at all?