Nespresso Takes Coffee Rival To Court Over George Clooney Doppelganger

Nespresso has filed a lawsuit against the Israeli Espresso Club, a competing coffee company in Israel, for its use of a George Clooney lookalike in its newest advertisement, accusing Espresso Club of misleading customers.

Nestlé, the parent company of Nespresso, originally filed the suit two years ago, but lost. Last week, Nestlé filed an appeal on the grounds that Nespresso wished to "prevent companies from being misled," and demanded damages totaling $50,000.

The Israeli Espresso Club, meanwhile, says that 45-second ad does not intend to confuse customers, but rather poke fun at Nespresso and its upscale vibe. The commercial is meant to "target customers looking for a more 'informal' coffee experience," according to the Telegraph.

Aside from serving as Nespresso's spokesman, Clooney is a member of its board of directors, and has famously said that he uses the proceeds from his Nespresso commercials to maintain a spy satellite that monitors the activities of Sudan and Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president accused of war crimes against Darfur.