A bit of a quick diary here, as the whole thing has gotten me angry enough that I really need to take a break.
Johnson and Johnson, a company that owns about 230 smaller companies, is suing the Red Cross.
For using the Red Cross symbol.
More specifically, they are upset that the Red Cross is "licensing" the Red Cross symbol, which J&J claims to own, to third parties. Things like first aid kits and the like, which J&J -- since they sell them -- has a vested interest in preventing.
The great gotcha? The Red Cross symbol was started in 1863, the organization and was officially founded internationally as the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1876 by the first Geneva Convention.
Johnson and Johnson wasn't even founded until 1886, 10 years after the Red Cross was officially founded, and 23 years after the organization actually started using it's symbol.
In addition, unless I am mistaken, the Red Cross is a protected symbol via international treaty. You're simply not allowed to throw the Red Cross on everything, doing so violates international law and the Geneva Conventions.
Johnson & Johnson is not going to win this.