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Another black mark for giant corporationsPosted Monday, August 13, 2007, at 8:58 AM
Giant corporations are sinking to new lows these days.
Last week, Johnson and Johnson filed a lawsuit against the American Red Cross. The company claims that the Red Cross has violated a "century old" understanding by displaying a red cross on first aid kits, hand sanitizer and medical gloves sold to the public. The money from the sales of those items is put to use in the Red Cross' several humanitarian projects. However, Johnson and Johnson holds the trademark on the red cross symbol. It now wants the unsold items, marketing materials and ALL monies from the sales of those items that bore the symbol of the red cross. Is anyone else as horrified by this move as I am? Mark Everson, president and chief executive of the American Red Cross, called the lawsuit "obscene" and I, for one, agree wholeheartedly with him. I know that with a company like Johnson and Johnson, boycotting its products is almost impossible. But you can bet, I won't be stocking up on any items made by this company and I will buy from an alternative company when possible. Shame on you, Johnson and Johnson. I can only hope that one day this horrific move comes back to bite you in a not so nice place one day!!! Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
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I agree that an organization that depends on donations like the Red Cross should try to help themselves,but doesn't J&J make all the same products that were in the kits that the Red Cross was selling? So where did the items come from in the kits, from J&J or a competitor? That would tick me off if I was J&J! It always comes down to money.
Also, is it true or an urban legend that when the Red Cross went to the "front" in times of war,they actually charged our soldiers for coffee and doughnuts,etc?
I've heard that story, I wonder if any vets could tell us what their experience with the Red Cross during wartime was?
I looked on the Red Cross website. They have a detailed response to J&J's lawsuit, that includes a history of the "red cross" symbol at, http://www.redcross.org/pressrelease/0,1...
Among other things they state that the Red Cross began using the "red cross" symbol in 1881, six years before J&J began using it commercially. Also, J&J's harassment of the Red Cross over their use of the Red Cross symbol goes all the way back to 1895!!!
J&J's lawsuit also alleges that the Red Cross' sale of the disaster preparation products violates a criminal statute, 18 U.S.C. § 706. Amazingly, Congress passed that law in 1905 to protect the Red Cross from people and organizations use of the Red Cross symbol and name for fraudulent purposes! You can read that law at, http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/u...
Also, the Red Cross has been selling these disaster preparation products since 2004. The Red Cross states, "The Red Cross, a nonprofit, received only $2 MILLION in revenue from the sale of its products in 2006. J&J, a corporation, received $53.3 BILLION in annual revenue in 2006."
I've got to believe that this lawsuit is going to be a public relations disaster for J&J.
I have had some experience with the American Red Cross. They do extremely well in some situations, but like all large organizations, money has a large influence and it appears all decisions or actions are profit oriented. I have seen situations where they do charge people for the coffee and donuts when they were bought with donated funds to begin with. I have perosonally bought their donuts and coffee.
They have been empowered by the federal government in that if you are a service member and have a death of a close family member you can not be authorized emergency leave unless the death is verified by the American Red Cross. That may not mean much to a person who has never had to use emergency leave, but there are advantages to emergency leave versus normal leave for service members. First, they don't have to give you the leave unless it is verified as an emergency. Second the verification of emergency leave will guarantee you a seat on the first available flight home from overseas. Why them? Why give the American Red Cross this power?
If you can remember back to 9-11 many problems arose as a result of how they handled funds donated to and for the victims of 9-11. If you remember they were following their normal practice of investing the donated funds and doleing out money to victims as they seen fit. They had no intentions of issuing funds to the victims at the rate it was donated and the release of funds was extremely slow until a public outcry. Remember?
I am not convinced that J&J will have much of a public relations problem over their desire for the American Red Cross to follow the law if it is true that is what it is. Why would they anger J&J? I wonder if J&J supports the American Red Cross with money or support? I bet they do. Let the courts work it out.
I am extremly proud to be a American Red Cross Volunteer. Commited on a daily basis to volunteer my time and my own funds to help those in need. I wittness on a local and national level how funds are being spent. You would be amazed at how much we do without and still manage to help those in need. If you would really like the truth about how the money is spent please volunteer. If you would like to know the history of the American Red Cross google it and find out the facts. If you would like to know if they charge for donuts and coffee, volunteer to canteen when the soldiers come home and leave and for special events just for the familys when the soldiers are gone. Come in and volunteer to man the phones, you will take those calls from the family members who need to contact their loved ones at war. Come in and volunteer for the disater action team that goes out houses persons who loose everything the own in a home fire. Come in and volunteer for our Disaster reserves and leave you home and family and pets for weeks and weeks so that you can help others who are suffering from total devastation from a hurricane. You will learn alot about the red cross if you come in and volunteer!
True, they do all these things with the help of great and wonderful volunteers. I was just saying that as a former soldier I have had to pay for the donuts and coffee on occasion. All the leg work is done with volunteers. Check for yourself where they invest the funds and who gets paid. Their actions should be questioned. Trust but verify. With all the money and supplies donated, maybe you should question why you as a volunteer are doing so much with so little.
Don't get me wrong I have been on the receiving end of those emergency phone calls and I appreciated their aid in verifying the emegency and ensuring that I was able to get home. But, it is not their money as they sometimes act is it. It is donated and it should be used as intended, not invested.
I think the Red Cross does a great job in 1945 when i landed on Guam it took weeks for my records to catch up for me to get paid,who gave me soap,tooth paste and other items? the RED CROSS at no charge, they are some of the first to come in any disaster, let hear the good things they do.
They do great things, but if they shouldn't be allowed to use the trademark of J&J. If that is what they did? We'll see in the court case if it comes to that. Why would someone make that mistake? Poor, overpaid leadership I assume.
The only organization I've ever associated the "red cross" symbol with is the Red Cross. Until this lawsuit I didn't even know that J&J laid any claim to its commercial use.
The Red Cross is directly responsible for whatever benefit J&J derives from using the "red cross" symbol on their commercial products -- because for more than 100 years the Red Cross has made the "red cross" symbol synonymous with first aid and emergency care.
J&J has been getting a free advertising ride on the back of the Red Cross's good deeds for over 100 years. Perhaps the Red Cross should give J&J a dose of reality by countersuing it for all the unrenumerated benefit it has provided for the sale of J&J's commercial products. How many hundreds of millions, and possibly billions in revenue by J&J is directly attributable to the Red Cross? I wonder what percentage of that would be fair for J&J to pay to the Red Cross?
By the way, the Red Cross is being very transparent about the issues related to the "red cross" symbol by posting the various laws, agreements, etc., on their website.
I do know for a fact that when I was in school the money raised for Hurricane Andrew victims was diverted to the Northridge Earthquake victims.
Our teachers felt gipped,because many people in CA had insurance and the state helped others. I think they felt it was "bait and switch", as if anyone on Earth can predict natural disasters (except for Storm Team Weather on Ch. 12).
At the time,I was too young to understand the strong feelings adults have against helping illegal aliens,persons with alternative lifestyles,and West Coast kooks, the presumption that was who were hurt most in CA,and the Gulf Coast are more like"us",just getting screwed over by insurance companies and the Feds.
After some of the earlier posts, how accountable are these large organizations like the Red Cross if billions are donated and the local volunteers are trying to" make do without and still manage to help those in need"?
I might volunteer, except I work Mon-Fri, and I am assured by my boss,Mr. Harry Iball, that I will be unemployed if I leave town to help others. I find most organizations have their training sessions during the week and aren't too flexible.