American Red Cross Sued For Using a Red Cross

Swampash sends us a story that even this community may find hard to believe. Johnson & Johnson, the health-products giant that uses a red cross as its trademark, is suing the American Red Cross, demanding the charity halt its use of the red cross symbol on products it sells to the public. It seems J&J began using the trademark in 1887, 6 years after the Red Cross was formed, but 13 years before the charitable organization was chartered by Congress. Lately the ARC has begun licensing the symbol to third parties to use on fund-raising products such as home emergency kits.

Comments

Suing because the red cross is now liscencing the

[majortom1981]

They are suing the red cross because the red crossis now illegally liscencing the red cross symbol when J&J have had the symbol since they started in the 1800's and they have it trademarked.

J&J actually has a case against the red cross. Stop with this big corp business.

Scammers not saints

[elrous0]

I posted this above, but I want to repost it here because it can't be repeated enough:

As someone who grew up in a military family (going several generations back), I have nothing but disdain for the Red Cross. They sell themselves as some noble organization helping out the military and disaster victims, but they are more oriented towards making money. When the time comes to actually devliver, they are nowhere to be found (or they're charging for it). People donate blood to them not realizing that they are selling it to hospitals at market value. People give money to them to help disaster victims, not realizing that they put all donations into their general fund, NOT into funds for specific disasters (they made a FORTUNE off of 9-11 and very little, if any, of that money went to 9-11 victims or recovery).

When my grandfather was in Korea, the Red Cross was there alright. They were there SELLING coffee and donuts to the soldiers. "Don't have any money, Shell-shocked G.I.? Tough shit. No donuts for you."

When my uncle died, we contacted the Red Cross because my father was in the field and part of their job was SUPPOSED to be contacting soldiers in the field in family emergencies. They bullshitted us around for a while and finally just told us that they couldn't help us. So we did what generations of military families and disaster victims have done when they realized the Rd Cross had no damn intention of helping them--we went through the government channels and did it that way.

I actively encourage people to NOT give money to the Red Cross. There are plenty of great charities out there but the Red Cross is not one of them.

This whole licensing agreement is just another money-making scheme for them. I just hope Johnson & Johnson wins their suit and screws them good.