Book publisher, Hershey settle

The Hershey Co. has settled a trademark-violation lawsuit against Simon & Schuster Inc. over a new book with a dust jacket that includes the familiar image of a Hershey chocolate bar.

Under the settlement, the New York-based publisher agreed to add an image in the upper left corner of the dust jacket’s front cover stating that the book -- “Hershey: Milton S. Hershey’s Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire and Utopian Dreams” -- is “neither authorized nor sponsored by The Hershey Company.”

“A similar disclaimer already added by online retailers on their websites will further help protect our trademarks and trade dress by making it clear that this book is not sponsored or licensed by the Hershey Co.,” Burton H. Snyder, Hershey’s senior vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.

The book, due in January, covers the life of Milton S. Hershey, who built the company into a manufacturing behemoth and used his wealth to endow what is today a multibillion-dollar trust devoted to the health and education of children. The publisher is marketing the book as Hershey’s first major biography.