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| Europe |
| Mecca Cola Brand Owner Found Guilty Of Company Violations |
| 2004-05-28 |
| A Tunisian entrepreneur who created "Mecca Cola" as a protest at U.S. foreign policy was found guilty of making false claims about his company by a Paris court Thursday. The court ruled that Tawfik Mathlouthi shouldn’t have claimed that 10% of his profits were paid to a "foundation" - a term strictly defined under French law. It also said the company hadn’t been properly registered with the authorities. But the court didn’t impose any penalty against Mathlouthi, turning down the prosecution’s demand for a EUR3,000 fine. Mathlouthi launched Mecca Cola in France in November 2002, pledging that 10% of its profits would go to Palestinian causes, and another 10% to European charities. The headquarters of Mecca Cola were transferred to Dubai after legal proceedings were launched against the company. "Many companies are not based in France," Mathlouthi told The Associated Press. "This is because I am taking on a symbol and am upsetting it." Mecca Cola was once described by Mathlouthi as "a little gesture against U.S. imperialism and foreign policy," a criticism of Washington’s support for Israel. The company’s Web site showed pictures of young Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli tanks, masked youths wielding slingshots and woman in a veil grappling with Israel forces. Mathlouthi has denied a direct attack on Coca-Cola Co. (KO), though the red-and-white swoosh labeling on his product bears a strong resemblance to the U.S. brand. |
| Posted by:TS(vice girl) |
| #1 The court ruled that Tawfik Mathlouthi shouldn’t have claimed that 10% of his profits were paid to a "foundation" - a term strictly defined under French law. It also said the company hadn’t been properly registered with the authorities. But the court didn’t impose any penalty against Mathlouthi, turning down the prosecution’s demand for a EUR3,000 fine. Taking a page from Spain's strategy book, are we France? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-05-28 11:05:02 PM |