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Chamber Unleashes Lawyers on Yes Men
After the Yes Men pulled their now-famous prank earlier this week on the US Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber issued a vague threat of "law-enforcement action." The group doesn't appear to have called the cops on the Yes Men just yet, but on Wednesday it issued a Digital Millennium Copyright Act take-down demand notice for the parody site that the Yes Men set up to publicize their fake event, in which the "Chamber" announced that it would support a sane global warming policy after all.
The Chamber's attorney at the intellectual property law firm Kenyon
& Kenyon issued a notice to the Yes Men's internet service
provider, Hurricane Electric, asking them to take down the site. "The
website infringes the Chamber of Commerce's copyrights by directly
copying the images, logos, design, and layout of the Chamber of
Commerce's copyright-protected official website, located at
www.uschamber.com," they wrote.
They ask Hurricane to "take down all such infringing material" and/or end their business relationship with the Yes Men. "Continuing to be the ISP for this material could subject Hurricane Electric to legal liability," the letter states.
"We are certain you can understand our client's concerns, and its need to protect its intellectual property," it continues.
And now the Electronic Frontiers Foundation is jumping in, telling the Chamber to take a chill pill. The site, they say, fits within the accepted fair use and parody rights.
"We are very disappointed the Chamber of Commerce decided to respond to political criticism with legal threats," said EFF staff attorney Corynne McSherry in a statement. "The site is obviously intended to highlight and parody the Chamber's controversial views, which have sparked political debate and led high-profile members to withdraw their support from the Chamber."
Ars Technica has more.
21 Comments so far
Show All"Some humans ain't human/
Some people ain't kind/
You open up their hearts/
And here's what you'll find/
A few frozen pizzas/
Some ice cubes with hair/
A busted Popsicle/
You don't wanna go there."
--John Prine
There's the Chamber's "intellectual" property for you.
America’s Out-of-Control Civil Lawsuit System Hurts Businesses, Employees, and Families
Frivolous lawsuits are crippling our legal system and sucking the vitality out of American businesses.
http://www.uschamber.com/legalreform.htm
This is just too easy....LOL
"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts." - John Keats
:) I like it.
Nothing like a fresh, steaming, aromatic load of corporate hypocrisy.
A better analogy would be to say that the YesMen peeled away a layer of skin to reveal the infection beneath.
EXACTLY -- that's why they are so livid , it's FRIGHT. YES MEN gave them an early HALLOWEEN BOO
and their jumped their skin right off their rotten bodies...for revealing that they're the ZOMBIES in america eating people up.
very well put
"Popped a zit" came to my mind.
· Yr Obd't Servant
Many large companies, including several electric utilities, have quit the US Chamber because of its denier/delayer stance on climate change. Companies who want to invest in a green future. Let's hope it snowballs.
As the founder of "Citizens Rallying Against Parody" l have to side with the Chamber, these are the times that try men's souls. The gravity of the global financial and political situation can not be taken lightly. We at C.R.A.P. are writing our glorious leaders and urging an amendment to the Constitution banning parody,farce, and satire aimed at our noble political
and business leaders. Those of you with the courage to join in this noble cause are asked to send me: (1) bank account number (2) social security number (3) drivers license number (4)Date of birth (5) mother's maiden name and (6) a notorized power of attorney. ln return l promise to use no more than 99% of what l receive for administration fees the rest will go to wiping the scourge of humor from the face of this planet. My e-mail address is "dupedby4crap.com"
funny. Good for you.
What a surprise ... a "Slap Suit" from the U.S. Chamber of Horrors ... There is no worthier target for the left than the CoC (Chamber of Commerce).
The U.S. Chamber of Horrors ...
If ever there were a blood and flesh enemy of everything liberal and progressive it is the Chamber of Commerce ...
They have, over the years depleted, diminished and destroyed the very foundations of a fair and free society. From labor law to the environment to out sourcing our future the Chamber of Commerce has been working in the back ground to make sure the average guy gets squat and the country suffers while the rich and super rich CEOs and oligarch families get special treatment.
Their influence can not be overstated ... just look at the reported political contributions ... Behind all the deals, underneath the thousands of pages of legislation, throughout the Halls of Congress and the White House their money and power are exercised for the craven monied elite at the expense of everything and everybody including the national interest.
That about covers it. They are professional predators.
That itch could be the early stages of leprosy.
MORE, MORE, MORE!
I think that the subject "intellectual property" probably hits the high water mark of Chamber of Commerce intellectual endeavors, and should probably be bronzed and placed in an appropriate museum of such things. A properly sterile place of course, so that they're not embarrassed by the mold growing on it.
The CoC membership files can provide us with a built in list of those companies that deserve to be boycotted. Start on a local level by informing those member companies that you'll boycott them unless they drop membership in this despicable organization. The precedent has been set by those companies that have already dropped their membership.
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They say that ignorance of the law is no excuse, of course-- but who knew it's illegal to impersonate a Chamber of Commerce?
· Yr Obd't Servant
That DMCA takedown order can come back to bite the Chamber of Commerce in the butt. The use of parody or humor is covered by that act, and filing a false claim of ownership is grounds for a charge of perjury.
I feel sorry for the leaders of corporate America. There must be something about greed that is ultimately unsatisfying, because these lost souls lack anything close to a sense of humor. And as far as 'intellect', the Yes Men seem to lead the Chamber easily 100:1. :-)