Copyright infringement complaint from The Onion

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

[Jim Robinson]

Subject: Copyright infringement

Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2003 16:27:04 -0400

From: Sean Mills smills@theonion.com

To: webmaster@freerepublic.com

Dear Free Republic,

It has come to our attention that you have published a number of pieces of Onion content at:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/keyword/onion

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/k-onion/browse

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/583819/posts

This material was published in THE ONION and the images you are presenting are being served by our servers. The material that you are publishing was published without permission of ONION, INC. Further, the material is copyrighted. You have infringed on our copyright and we, therefore, demand that you immediately cease and desist from any further use of the copyrighted material and remove the material from your website. In addition, you may not use the material in any other manner whatsoever.

Please understand that we anticipate your full and immediate cooperation in this matter. Also, please understand that we do not hesitate to enforce our rights in these situations.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Sean Mills

[StriperSniper]

Nothing like a little direct competition, hey, Cry Vegetables?

Kick 'em in the bulbs Laz!

[StriperSniper]

There the Onion found a new investor: David Schafer, a businessman who had managed the $2.5 billion Strong Schafer Value Fund. "The Onion's strong point was never accounting, financial management, or business," Schafer admits. "Buying it was a bit of a shot in the dark, but we felt we could get a handle on it."

He did that by bringing on Sean Mills, who had run an interactive advertising agency in San Francisco. The first thing the new president did was revamp the ad-sales strategy. During the dotcom boom, ads flowed into the Onion without much coaxing from sales reps. But the flow had stopped, so Mills sent reps out to build relationships with ad agencies.

And Mills sends out e-mails that alienate readers.

[Diverdogz]

Pinging freeper "fistoflife".

I think you sat on Lazamataz. See a doctor, quickly.

[SWake]

I'm not java literate, nor do I play a java literate individual on TV, but is there a way to place the original article from whatever source in a frame with our comments on the article in another frame? That way, their material would be drawn from their site (and they would continue to get the revenue from any ads placed on their page), it would be framed away from our comments, but still available without having to click the original source link and waiting for it to open in another window.

Just an idea.

[Fledermaus]

Jim,

Is there a link to a list of those entities we aren't supposed to post in full?

[CathyRyan]

I do not read the Latrine or Compost the Onion is now one of them.

[Fledermaus]

If links aren't even okay, it's free speech to post, "hey, go check out X story over on the Onion website" or something like that.

[Fledermaus]

I know I went there everytime I saw an article from them posted here. If it wasn't for the occasional Freeper article, I'd forget about them completely.

I never go to their website unless I see it linked. I don't even have it bookmarked.

Links could be okay since I've seen others in blogs and websites link to them. Then again, I haven't seen anyone link to them in a long, long time.

[b4its2late]

Eye eye sir. Besides, onions are for cooking and eating, not reading.

So much for their free publicity. They lose.

[Bob J]

(I can't comment on the legal defense fund. Perhaps someone with knowledge of it should post an accounting).

The last I heard it had taken in about 6k. The total expenses, inluding hiring a new attorney when clarity bailed, I believe were over 40k. You do the math.

[ilgipper]

Dumb people, those onioners. We send traffic their way. I've been reading the onion for 7 years or so, both in print and online. Screw 'em. They clearly don't understand the whole concept...that users here are the ones posting it, and other users are following the link to their site...for more advertising dollars. Sorry, jackasses. Your site visits are going down. Great work.

[Timesink]

I have the same question. Are links still OK?

If they HATE us, why would we want to give them free advertising?

They're doing just what the LAT and WP did: selective prosecution. They come after us because we're a conservative web site, yet there are plenty of hardcore leftist web sites that republish LAT/WP (and Onion) stories in their entirety every single day, and the LAT/WP/O say and do nothing about it.

[Scenic Sounds]

Note this!!

[Focault's Pendulum]

My e mail to The Onion.

I was introduced to your hilarious site due to the postings on FR. I'm sure you understand that FR is a non profit organization.

We are a loose confederation of like minded individuals who like nothing better than a healthy dose of humor, included in our daily discourse of local, state, national and world events

While I understand your trepidation at having copywrited material seen elsewhere, you surely must realize, that a number of hits on your counter are due to the one hundred thousand plus members of FR satisfying their curiosity. We are a curious bunch.

I wish you continued success, and hope that the decreased advertising revenues do not affect you in any large manner.

Sincerely,

Focault's Pendulum

[Timesink]

I hope you give them the VDARE treatment instead of allowing excerpts like the LAT/WP.

Seconded. Just as the LAT/WP went after us, and only us (there are plenty of liberal sites that report LAT/WP stories every single day right now, in September 2003, and the LAT/WP lawyers have never said a word to them), The Onion is now going after us because we're conservatives and they're liberals.

We don't really have much choice about allowing LAT/WP excerpts, because without them we'd be depriving ourselves of major news sources (albeit biased ones). But The Onion serves no purpose whatsoever. If they will not allow us fair use, we should not grant them free advertising.

[Timesink]

I am going to cancel my subscription. Onion comes out a loser on this.

Just remember that unless you cancel via a direct letter to the editorial offices in New York (addressed to specific human beings too, not some "letter to the editor",) they won't have a clue as to why you're canceling. Just calling the 800 "subscription services" number will ensure the people that matter will never find out why you canceled.

[Kozak]

Last bunch I would expect of having no sense of humor.

Hey, it's business. The suits at the onion are as likely to have a rod up their fundament as at any other business. Maybe the Onion writers can do a parody of THIS.

[Rebelbase]

Dang.

[A. Pole]

Last bunch I would expect of having no sense of humor.

From my experience - some good jokers are grim, cranky and humorless people. A paradox.