NEW YORK: Johnson & Johnson, the health-products giant that uses a red cross as its trademark, sued the American Red Cross on Wednesday, demanding that the charity halt the use of the red cross symbol on products it sells to the public.

Johnson & Johnson said it has had exclusive rights to use the trademark on certain commercial products — including bandages and first-aid cream — for more than 100 years.

It contends that the Red Cross is supposed to use the symbol only in connection with nonprofit relief services.

"For a multibillion-dollar drug company to claim that the Red Cross violated a criminal statute ... simply so that J&J can make more money, is obscene," said Mark Everson, the Red Cross president.

The Red Cross said that many of the products in question were part of health and safety kits, and that profits from the sales — totaling less than $10 million (€7.25 million) — went to boost Red Cross disaster-response efforts.