Hindus protest use of gods on underwear by US firm

New Delhi - India's eastern state of Orissa has lodged a protest with the US government seeking action against a California-based website for hurting religious sentiments of people by selling undergarments with images of Hindu gods, a newspaper reported Friday. Hindu priests and religious groups had slammed the website, cafepress.com, for selling undergarments embellished with faces of several gods and goddesses, including the presiding deities of Jagannath temple, considered among the most sacred Hindu temples in India.

Besides writing to the US embassy in New Delhi, the state authorities also wrote to the federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil urging him to take up the issue with the US government, the Times of India daily reported.

"I, on the behalf of the government of Orissa, request you to take up the issue with the American governemnt for taking action against the website owner to refrain the company from such unholy activities," Orissa's law minister BB Harichandan said in his letter.

Harichandan wrote that Orissa was "deeply shocked and concerned over the unscrupulous means of advertisement" for commercial gains and demanded that the website apologize immediately.

The Orissa police has also registered a case of hurting religious sentiments after a Hindu organization lodged a complaint in the temple city of Puri where the Jagannath temple is situated.

The newspaper also quoted lawyers saying that the website tried to insult India as a nation by displaying the Indian flag, and Indian leaders including Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru on underwear.

Here’s a list of what CafeExpress has for Hindus: http://www.cafepress.com/buy/hindu/-/cfpt2_/copt_/cfpt_/source_searchBox/x_29/y_11

Don’t see “boxers or briefs” as an option :-(

If Hindu gods are fun enough for you, check out their offerings in the “Don’t Taze Me - Bro!” section: http://www.cafepress.com/buy/Don’t+Taze+Me+Bro

Anyone using anyone's deities for fun and/or profit is disrespectful. My understanding is anyone can sell almost anything on cafepress. But they must have some limits. I suggest seeing if those limits have been crossed.

Do deities fit in here?:

Frequently Asked Questions

Examples of Prohibited Content

Answer

In accordance with intellectual property laws, CafePress.com has certain rules regarding the types of merchandise that you can make and sell through its service.

For example:

NO use of names, logos, pictures or other intellectual property of musical groups or musical artists. For example, you cannot make Britney Spears merchandise simply because you run a fan-based Britney Spears website or just because you downloaded her image from an internet website. You also cannot modify the name or other intellectual property of a musical group and avoid infringement, (e.g., using Metalika instead of Metallica).

NO use of names, logos, pictures, or other intellectual property of sports teams, colleges/universities, clubs, or organizations such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Harvard University, or The Boy Scouts. Again, modifications may not avoid infringement.

NO photos, logos, caricatures, or other artwork depicting celebrities, such as Michael Jackson or Madonna, or other third parties. Just because you take a photograph of a celebrity does not give you the right to use that photograph on merchandise, even if you digitally manipulate the photograph.

NO use of trademarks, names, or logos of companies. For example, you cannot use the name of a company such as Nike, a company logo such as the Nike "swoosh" trademark, or brand name such as Coca Cola, or a modified version of a trademark, (e.g., "Just Did It").

NO pictures or photographs of products (such as toys). Even if you own a product, trademark laws may still prohibit you from selling merchandise that features pictures of it. For example, you cannot take a picture of your Barbie and sell merchandise with that picture.

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