Irish bread maker McCambridge, which claims to be the leader in the market for traditional bread, has sued a rival company over alleged deliberate mimicking of its packaging to produce a "lookalike" brown bread product which its says has confused consumers.

Mr Justice Peter Kelly yesterday agreed to fast-track the proceedings by McCambridge against Joseph Brennan Bakeries, trading as Brennans, and fixed the case for hearing in the Commercial Court on July 21, reported the Irish Times.

McCambridge claims Brennans has infringed its copyright in its bread packaging and is "passing off" its bread as that manufactured by McCambridge. Brennans denies the claims.