Nespresso Suing Coffee Competitor For Using George Clooney Doppelgänger In Ads

There is only one actor named George Clooney shilling for an espresso company, and Nespresso wants to make sure consumers know he’s only working for them: the company’s Israel arm is suing a rival for using an actor who looks somewhat like the salt-and-pepper Clooney in ads, claiming it’ll confuse customers.

Nepresso Israel filed a lawsuit against Israeli Espresso Club for its ads that show the Clooney doppelgänger learning about how awesome Espresso Club is, reports the Associated Press.

The ads feature a silvery-haired gentlemen carrying what looks like a Nespresso bag and speaking English, with a disclaimer that the actor “is not George Clooney.”

Nespresso said it filed the suit to “prevent customers from being misled,” and is demanding $50,000 in damages and for the ad be removed.

Espresso Club claims it’s just a tongue-in-cheek ad, and that the actor was hired to target customers looking for an “informal” coffee experience. Unlike the formal ritual I perform every morning with trumpets heralding the arrival of my morning brew in a gold chalice, served by Aaron Rodgers lookalikes wearing togas. It’s very fancy.

Check out Not-Clooney below, and then vote in our poll:

Nespresso sues Israeli coffee company over Clooney lookalike [Associated Press]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist