Pro-Palestinian group, Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Australia used SBS name and logo to promote its cause
SBS has refused to bow to demands from protesters to boycott Eurovision in Israel next year and has threatened to sue them for appropriating the broadcaster’s branding.
Israel won the Eurovision song contest with pop star Netta Barzilai’s quirky entry Toy, which means it will host next year’s finals, expected to take place in Tel Aviv.
“Thank you so much. I love my country,” Barzilai said when she held her trophy after her win.
A pro-Palestinian activist group, Boycott Divestment and SanctionsAustralia, has joined protesters and artists worldwide in calling for a boycott of the event.
It used a red leaflet featuring the SBS name and logo to promote its cause. It said: “Boycott Eurovision 2019; Don’t Celebrate Israel’s Apartheid Crimes”.
SBS sent a legal letter saying they must “immediately remove SBS’s trademark from any of your websites, social media pages and any other marketing and promotional material”.
“As is common practice for organisations managing and protecting their brand, SBS is in contact with this organisation about their unauthorised use of the SBS logo,” a spokeswoman told Guardian Australia.
The legal dispute remains unresolved.
Read the article by Amanda Meade in The Guardian.