johnson and johnson and red cross

[sanctus]

Has anyone heard this:
Johnson & Johnson Sues Red Cross Over Symbol - New York Times

Then there are still some people who wonder why there so many no-globals and why the black block still attracts people...
Attacking in the name of profit a humanitarian association is really sad and without any moral!
This is a reason for me to boycott all johnson and johnson products. Don't you agree?
There are plenty of other links, I just took the first one google gave.

[Qfwfq]

The idea is certainly repugnant (although it doesn't justify Black Block actions!) and I read through that news item. There seem to be some pretty close calls...

J&J accuses the American Red Cross of using "its" symbol in a manner somewhat outside the charitable scope and it seems to have some points but I think the matter is legally quite subtle. After all, isn't licensing the symbol a way of raising funds? One would maybe want to see if the licensing agreement guarantees the use of the symbol being in line with the Red Cross tradition, I suppose. Now it has been filed as a case, between these two parties, in a US federal court, therefore US federal laws apply and I certainly don't know all the ins and outs, but...

Who exactly does the symbol belong to? The article says:

The lawsuit filed yesterday says that Johnson & Johnson has used the red cross symbol since 1887 on a wide range of products, including wound care products and first-aid kits, which include gloves, wipes, bandages and cream.

but where did J&J get the symbol from? It has been used by the International Red Cross for a long time and dates back to 1863, according to international conventions. See Historical Background in here.

I suspect that J&J ought to pipe down about considering the symbol as its own trade mark.

[Qfwfq]

Perhaps the US Federal court should defer any decision to Swiss Federal courts!

In order to emphasize that the protective emblem had no religious significance,
the 1906 Conference adopted new wording drawing attention to the
fact that it had been devised by reversing the Swiss federal colours:

“Out of respect to Switzerland the heraldic emblem of the red
cross on a white ground, formed by the reversal of the Federal
colours, is continued as the emblem and distinctive sign of the
sanitary service of armies.” 20

......

20 Geneva Convention of 6 July 1906, Art. 18, Actes de la Conférence de Révision réunie à Genève du 11 juin au
6 juillet 1906, Imprimerie Henri Jarrys, Geneva, 1906, p. 286; The Laws of Armed Conflicts, p. 306.