Unilever has sent a response to an Israeli NGO's attempt to seize Ben & Jerry's trademark in the West Bank, following the parent company's decision to stop selling ice cream across the Green Line.
Shurat HaDin Israel Law center has claimed that Ben & Jerry's has "abandoned" its trademark in the West Bank, however, Unilever disagrees.
“Unilever unequivocally rejects all your assertions set forth therein including that Univeler has abandoned its trademark rights for Ben & Jerry's in what you refer to as the Judea and Samaria region of Israel." A letter dated August 12 reads, signed by Natalia Cavaliere, in response to a letter sent by Shurat HaDin's President Nitsana Darshan-Leitner that reads,
“The Shurat HaDin Law Center has now registered a commercial entity with the Israeli registry of corporations called “Judea and Samaria’s Ben & Jerry’s."
The plan involved selling "Judea and Samaria's Finest Frozen Chosen People" complete with a portrait of Theodor Herzl, the founder of the modern Zionist movement.
"Please note that we deem any use of the trademark or tradename Ben & Jerry's to be a violation of our intellectual property rights." The letter continues.
Rejecting the notion that its decision to end sales in the West Bank was motivated by antisemitism, the company concludes: "Finally, and most importantly, Unilever and Ben & Jerry's reject completely and repudiate unequivocally any form of discrimination or intolerance. Antisemitism has no place in any society."