People go to absurd limits to "protect" what they call their "intellectual property", though in reality the aim is only to eliminate competition.
It seems Nestle had tried to register the shape of their "mint with a hole" in the UK Patent Office! Fortunately, and perhaps due to some oversight by the attorney who drafted the application, courts rejected it when challenged. See:
http://www.jenkins-ip.com/mym/autumn2004/item_14.htm