Copyright infringement complaint from The Onion

Email from The Onion | 09/19/03 | Sean Mills

[Eaker]

Smarter than you. Apparently more honest too.

[ArneFufkin]

The Onion handled this with class and justifiable standing.

Have fun fondling your guns today.

[Eaker]

Have fun fondling your guns today.

Still pissed because they won't let you be a Scout Master?

It shows.

[VOA]

How come this isn't under Humor?

Because apparently The -nion doesn't have one after all.

[bvw]

The Onion has joined the ranks of the tyranny-by-IP. It's no random coincidence that for years articles and pictures from the Onion have been posted on FR, yet only now -- in perfect sync with the Business 2.0 Press Release of an "article", where the questionable claim that the Onion has always been on top of it's "IP" inventory is put forth as fact -- demands FR stop the use of whole articles and the inclusion of images hosted at the Onion.

Just by the those images links alone -- the Onion has has YEARS of reasonable notice of the practise that had developed on FR by people posting Onion material. The *cute* little letter to Jim Robinson that leads "It has come to our attention". Yeah, hey, Sean -- I wonder under oath exactly when you'd say it "came to your attention"? Would you be planning a public stock offering soon, or a round of venture funding? Best watch thy words, Sean, for some statements might later come back to haunt you.

[ArneFufkin]

I'm sure Jim will be requesting your legal representation next time he is summoned to "Cuckoo Court".

[Travis McGee]

Point out where FR has reposted the Onion's work for profit.

All FR has done is direct more readers and publicity toward the Onion's website, people who have never heard of them before.

Actually, I have posted 20 out of 52 chapters of my book on my website, and I encourage you to link them to everyone you know. Those 20 chapters are more words than everything the Onion has put out onto the world wide web in the last 2 years.

20 Free Chapters Here!

Please Copy and Link!

[glock rocks]

Mmmmmm... think I'll go fondle some black plastic today.

[ArneFufkin]

The "fair use" battle of using copyright material here in entiretly has been fought and lost Travis. My recommendation to FR management would be to demand excerpt and linking to EVERY piece of copyright material posted here.

FR is in the wrong here. Always has been. I press the link on EVERY article posted here that I read, give the source a viewing hit, just on principle.

It's a private property issue for me. Conservative stuff.

[Eaker]

Brother, feel free to steal this.....

......or make it better so that I can steal it from you!!!!!

[xzins]

Nothing at all, or similar to the WPost deal with a link and a brief excerpt?

They'll give up a lot of traffic if they don't accept at least that.

[blackie]

Bump ~ the only onions I use are: Vidalia, Walla Walla or Mayan ~ whichever is in season. :-/

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

No problem!

NO MORE ONION!! Their loss.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Since Sean feels so strongly about this, we shall no longer mention the onion, nor post anything with the word onion in it, and we will use only scallions on our burgers and in our Freedom Scallion soup.

[bvw]

It wasn't lost it was settled in the hallway with the suers. There's a world of difference. Fair use is still alive and well, and gee golly, if other web sites can't use the Onion's parodies and satires for the purpose of review and parotty of the parody. The FIRST is not dead yet, Arnie McFufkin.

What Jim Robinson sets his policy to is his to set. But the extraction of articles -- even in full extract -- for such purposes is not totally banned withing the US. IP is metatasically tyrannical in nature.

[Bob J]

Free Republic is not a non profit, it is an LLC. Jim calls it a "not for profit" because just enough money is raised to pay expenses and the partners do not receive dividiends.

[Timesink]

The Onion has joined the ranks of the tyranny-by-IP. It's no random coincidence that for years articles and pictures from the Onion have been posted on FR, yet only now -- in perfect sync with the Business 2.0 Press Release of an "article", where the questionable claim that the Onion has always been on top of it's "IP" inventory is put forth as fact -- demands FR stop the use of whole articles and the inclusion of images hosted at the Onion.

Do you have a link to the Business 2.0 story? (Yes, I know the 2.0 site is firewalled; I have a comp subscription, so I can get through it.)

[rwfromkansas]

You stupid moron.

You aren't taking the position of JR.

JR didn't say a peep about this until the letter.

Have you posted any articles on FR? If so, you are a hypocrite.

If you even post a response to the articles, you are a hypocrite.

By being on this very site you are a hypocrite because you clearly don't hold to your principles that posting copyrighted material online is wrong if you hang out with us 'sinners.'

[rwfromkansas]

Excuse me?

All I am saying is you took the side of the onion and are POSTING AT A WEBSITE THAT VIOLATES COPYRIGHT EVERY DAY.

You are a HYPOCRITE AND GET THE HELL OF THIS SITE YOU HYPOCRITE!

[rwfromkansas]

The pure hypocrisy of those posting on FR who are taking the Onion's side is shocking. They post at a website everyday that reprints copyrighted material and then have the audacity to say FR is wrong, a slap in the face to JR.