Legal Definitions - boycott

A boycott is a collective and organized refusal by a group of individuals or entities to engage in business or social relations with another party. This refusal is typically a form of protest against the party's practices, policies, or actions, with the aim of pressuring them to change their behavior. Unlike a strike, which is a refusal to work, a boycott is a refusal to buy, sell, or otherwise interact commercially or socially.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of a boycott:

• Consumer Protest Against Unethical Practices: Imagine a popular coffee chain is exposed for sourcing its beans from farms known to exploit their workers and use environmentally damaging practices. In response, a coalition of consumer advocacy groups launches a campaign, urging people to stop buying coffee from that chain. Thousands of customers collectively decide to purchase their coffee elsewhere until the company commits to ethical sourcing and sustainable practices, providing verifiable proof of change.

  This illustrates a boycott because a group of consumers (the collective) is refusing to do business with the coffee chain (the party) as a form of protest against its unethical labor and environmental practices, aiming to pressure the chain into changing its behavior.

• Businesses Refusing to Deal with a Supplier: Several small, independent electronics retailers in a region discover that a major electronics manufacturer is consistently prioritizing large chain stores, giving them exclusive access to new products and better wholesale pricing. Feeling disadvantaged, these independent retailers collectively decide to stop ordering products from that manufacturer, choosing instead to stock items from smaller, more supportive brands.

  This demonstrates a boycott as multiple businesses (the collective) are refusing to deal with a specific supplier (the party) to protest unfair business practices and seek more equitable terms for themselves.

• International Pressure for Policy Change: After a particular country passes a law widely criticized for discriminating against a minority group, a coalition of international human rights organizations and concerned citizens launches a global campaign. They call on individuals and governments worldwide to stop purchasing goods manufactured in that country and to avoid tourism there, aiming to exert economic pressure on the nation's government to repeal the discriminatory law.

  This is an example of a boycott where a broad group of international organizations and individuals (the collective) refuses to engage in economic activities (buying goods, tourism) with a specific nation (the party) to protest its discriminatory policies and exert pressure for change.