Posted on 03/08/2006 11:10:15 AM PST by Cagey
ATLANTA -- A Georgia man has filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart in federal district court in Atlanta in a fight over his T-shirts that compare the retailer's business practices to the Holocaust.
Charles Smith has been marketing shirts that read, "I (heart) Wal-ocaust" T-shirts. Wal-Mart filed a cease-and-desist order in an attempt to make him stop printing the shirts.
The company said Smith is engaging in trademark infringement. It has threatened to sue Smith if he continues to display the logos on his Web site and to print them on his products.
The 48-year-old Smith is a computer repairman and said he has no deep connection to the company. But he claims using the logos is a free speech issue.
Smith said he came up with his anti-Wal-Mart logo after conversations with a customer and an employee who both had bad experiences with the retailer.
He designed his first logo in July. One shirt -- with "Wal-ocaust" printed above an eagle and a smiley face sold on Nov. 16 and netted Smith $5.10.
He said if the court sides with him, he will use any profits to pay his legal fees and for continued production of the products.
Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sarah Clark said Smith is infringing on the company's trademark and also "making an offensive association between Wal-Mart and one of the greatest tragedies of the past century."
Exactly. Disagree if you like with Wal-Mart's approach, but let's keep the "it's like a HOLOCAUST!" powder dry for when, um, thousands of people are being murdered by a government because of their religion or ethnicity.
No need to apologize!:)
More graduates from the "Dick Durbin School of Hyperbole."
Not to mention the gray, dreary, warehouse atmosphere, the regular loudspeaker announcements, and the defeated-looking individuals milling about. All it needs is some razor wire and spotlights to complete the theme.
Of course, they also offer very low prices on many items, which to me more than makes up for the unpleasantness of the shopping experience. That, and the fact that leftists hate it :)
That...doesn't make a whole lot of sense. :P
Ah, but what other example of fascism do people actually, readily know about other than the Nazis?
And what about the people that approved the ad? It was approved by management. The man in charge of approving the ad (Walmart's director of PR for California and Arizona) resigned (was NOT fired) and Wal-Mart apologized a week later. So Wal-Mart compares their opposition to Nazis and they get compared to Nazis in return. Sounds like Washington, D.C.
And other than pointing out that hypocrisy, where exactly did I bash Wal-Mart?
I don't think the Smiley Face can be trademarked.
I like the family values line, though...especially the line about firearms as I believe boys bond well with fathers who take them shooting.
That, and being a jerk.
LOL.
Now that is funny,maybe that is why my ears where ringing yesterday.:)
We haven't ordered anything yet,but we use the recipes posted on the website German Deli.com.
I am not as much here on FR ,as I used to be,do to work and family obligations,but today I have some time to catch up on the ongoings here on FR.
It's good to see you.
ping
Now wait just a darned minute.....you mean Forrest Gump didn't invent the "Smiley Face"? (Don't lie now, I saw the damn movie where he invented it...) I thought Forrest would have trademarked that logo. :0 )
Good to see you too. I try to stay off FR more because I just don't get anything done... :) Take care!
You take care yourself and I'll see ya around.:)
WalMart may not be perfect (who or what is) but I think this is really a bit over the top.
Not too many, unfortunately. Of course, you wouldn't necessarily have to use fascism, you could use any recognizable totalitarian ideology. Perhaps Soviet imagery could have been used, or even more relevant in light of recent events, some of the Islamic theocracies or Arab dictatorships. Or maybe the point could have been made with text alone.
None of those possibilites would have illustrated the point as perfectly as the Nazi book burning picture. But they also wouldn't have produced the inevitable, immediate backlash that occured, and the subsequent retraction and bad publicity for WalMart.
I agree!!!
I'm really glad on reflection, that the other side is so sophmoric.
I'll bet that this modern Don Coyote will take the first cash offer Wally makes.
Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in the country. They employ more people than the U.S. government if you exclude the military.
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