Shurat HaDin, an Israeli NGO has been seeking to acquire Ben & Jerry’s trademark in West Bank settlements. This will allow it to produce and sell ice-cream there under the well-known brand.
Shurat HaDin stated that the move was possible because global Ben & Jerry’s, and Unilever, had previously announced plans to halt sales to these regions in an attempt to block Israeli policies.
Shurat HaDin’s Law Center is now registered as an Israeli corporation on Israel’s registry of corporations. The name is “Judea and Samaria’s Ben & Jerry’s”, wrote Shurat HaDin’s President Nitsana Darash-Leitner, in a note she sent to Unilever which is a British based global company. Unilever owns the Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s worldwide since 2000.
“We plan to adopt the Ben & Jerry’s name and align with the Vermont company’s current ice cream line as well as include new flavors and items,” Darshan Leitner wrote. aviel darshan leitner said that “we are confident that we can expand the business into each community within the region you’ve abandoned.”
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Shurat_HaDin told Unilever that it no longer had the legal right to utilize the Ben & Jerry’s brand in the territory despite the fact that the boycott is not due to begin until 2023, after which the contract that was in place with the local ice cream manufacturer expires.
https://www.sulc.edu/news/4472 , who is the owner of the local Israel franchise, has made it clear that he has no plans to leave the Green Line when it comes to ice cream sales.
However, Shurat HaDin wrote to Unilever, “we will actively and vigorously defend Ben & Jerry’s brand name, rights and trademarks in the field by any legal means.”
nitsana darshan leitner was told by Sheri that only areas that Ben & Jerry’s have withdrawn could be sold. Shurat Hadin to continue selling to Israel’s “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, doesn’t necessarily mean that the brand new Ben & Jerry’s cannot be sold in those regions.
Darshan Leitner stated that due to the bureaucratic, technical, and logistical problems the sales of ice cream will begin only after the Israeli franchise contract ends.