A ruling will be issued on April 9. Raisio and Unilever have been racing to launch competing cholesterol-cutting margarine products throughout Europe and in the US. "The public will be confused," Unilever's attorney Willem Hoijng told the District Court in The Hague. Market research found that 64 per cent of Dutch people shown a package of Benecol margarine thought it was made by Unilever, Hoijng said. Raisio and McNeil rejected the argument, saying Benecol was launched in Finland in 1995 andconsumers have shown no confusion even though it has been sold side by side with Unilever's Becel.The Benecol name was registered in the Benelux countries in 1995 and got a European Community registration in 1997, said attorney Richard van Oerle, representing Raisio and McNeil. "I guess Unilever is doing this for commercial reasons," Van Oerle said, accusing Unilever of trying to delay the launch of Benecol.

Benecol was launched in Britain on Monday and a spokewoman said after the court session that the Dutch launch is expected in May or June. Unilever has long used the Becel brand in continental Europe and planned to market its cholesterol-cutting margarine as Becel pro-activ over the coming months.