OFF THE TICKER : The Drink for Folks Who Can’t Say <i> Thang</i>

It’s orange-flavored Tang versus grapefruit-flavored Ting in a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Kraft General Foods Inc.

Kraft General Foods, maker of the orange powder that rocketed to prominence when U.S. astronauts took it to the moon, said it will “suffer irreparable damage” unless a New York judge permanently bans competitor Ting from the U.S. market. “How much closer can you get than Ting and Tang?” asked Kraft General Foods attorney Ethan Horwitz.

But Robert Kennedy, an Atlanta lawyer representing the Jamaican manufacturer of Ting, said the name has nothing to do with Tang. “The Jamaicans couldn’t say ‘thing.’ ” Kennedy explained in a telephone interview. “They’d say, ‘Give me a ting.’ ”