A federal judge was not impressed with the dust-up over the familiar red trademark shared by Johnson & Johnson and the American Red Cross. Judge Jed Rakoff tossed out most of J&J's claims against the not-for-profit, which centered on the latter's use of the logo on products it sells, such as disaster-prep and first-aid kits.
The Red Cross's counter-claim also fell to the judicial scalpel; Rakoff pooh-poohed the idea that J&J had been violating trademark rules by using the symbol on certain products.
So all that's left of the suit is J&J's allegation that the Red Cross purposefully interfered with J&J's business relationships with two suppliers, Water-Jel Technologies and First Aid Only.
- find the Red Cross release
- check out the item in the Wall Street Journal Health Blog
- see the New York Times story