ExxonMobil sues Greenpeace

ExxonMobil is suing Greenpeace, claiming the environmental pressure group is misusing its corporate logo.

In a suit filed with the French courts, the corporation is demanding a penalty of almost €80,000 for damage to its reputation.

It's also seeking the same amount per day if Greenpeace refuses to stop using the logo.

ExxonMobil's subsidiary Esso France says the Stop E$$O campaign - run by a coalition of groups including Greenpeace - is illegal and harmful to the reputation of the brand.

Stop E$$O, a coalition of groups including Greenpeace, is campaigning around the world to stop ExxonMobil sabotaging international action to address climate change, such as the Kyoto Protocol.

But ExxonMobil claims the manipulation of its logo to substitute the letters S for dollar signs makes it resemble the symbol of the Nazi SS, which is at best confusing to the public.

Exxon Mobil says: "The reader of the site pages can only feel, independently from any argument expressed on this site, a repulsion, which turns away customers from the Esso brand."

Executive director of Greenpeace, Gerd Leipold, says: "This is just ridiculous. Esso knows it can't win a debate about climate change, and it won't discuss the content of the website.

"Instead, Esso is trying to gag us with legal threats. We will fight this in court."

A hearing date has been set for July 1 in Paris.