Albanian Advocacy Group Facing a Fight It Didn't Anticipate
A civic action and advocacy group in Albania has been caught up in a legal dispute over brand names between the U.S.-based Gallup Organization and a coalition of research companies under the Swiss-based Gallup International Association.
A spokesman for the American polling outfit alleged that the Albanian group was exploiting the Gallup name and "infringing on the trademark" for his firm. Erion Veliaj , executive director of the Albanian group, which is partly funded by the U.S. government, said in an e-mail that it was "a leading watchdog and pressure group" that has worked to combat civic apathy and engage citizens in Albania 's political debate. He said the group had approached several polling companies to commission pre-election surveys. "We wanted to measure public sentiments, priorities and needs. Gallup Organization never replied to our inquiry," he wrote. "Gallup International . . . were the only ones fit for the job." He said the company had been previously hired in the region by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, Amnesty International and other agencies. Chris Stewart, the California-based global brand manager for the Gallup Organization, said his firm was approached at first but declined, telling Veliaj's group that its strict policy bars it from providing advocacy or special interest groups with surveys. "We attempted to get an injunction in the court, but it was too slow. We are going to go ahead as soon as we can get a judge to pay attention," he said. Veliaj said he learned of the dispute only through the Web. "We consider this is an issue between the two companies to solve, not between companies and the poll clients," he said. "It seems like a youth movement in Albania makes for an easier prey than the multinational bodies." The article has been taken from Washington Post through the website of MJAFT. |
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