Ben & Jerry’s says sales in Israel go against its values. Picture: BLOOMBERG
The Vermont-based ice cream maker claimed in a suit that Unilever’s sale of its brand and trademark in Israel to a local company violated the 2000 agreement by which the consumer products giant acquired Ben & Jerry’s and runs against its “core values”. Unilever maintained that the agreement gave Ben & Jerry’s no power to challenge the deal, which closed in June.
US judge Andrew L Carter Jr in Manhattan on Monday denied Ben & Jerry’s request for a preliminary injunction, saying the ice cream maker failed to show that it would suffer irreparable harm if the deal wasn’t blocked. Carter said Ben & Jerry’s claim that the deal might lead to new products conveying a message contrary to the brand’s was “too speculative”.