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Copyright infringement complaint from The Onion
Email from The Onion | 09/19/03 | Sean Mills

Posted on 09/19/2003 1:33:48 PM PDT by 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


TOPICS: Announcements; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: adminlectureseries; complaint; copyright; freerepubliczotted; infringement; onion; theonion; theonioniscrying; waawaa; zot; zotfreerepublic
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To: Diverdogz
All the Onion wants is for their work to be read from their website.

And they're going to get a lot less of that because of their stupid control-freak ways. Simple as that.

141 posted on 09/19/2003 3:16:24 PM PDT by inquest (World socialism: the ultimate multinational corporation)
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To: Skooz
It is much easier to read articles when they are posted in their entirety here - but if they ask us to stop, how can we say no? We've fought that battle already and I don't think it's winnable.

But I doubt every publication will ask us to stop, but the list may grow to a point where it is unmanageable to remember which papers we can or cannot post from.
142 posted on 09/19/2003 3:17:37 PM PDT by Diverdogz
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To: Jim Robinson
Shortsighted of them. I'm sure FR has widely increased their readership.
143 posted on 09/19/2003 3:17:38 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Keith in Iowa
Yuppers: http://www.coasttocoastam.com/timages/page/Tree_MillCreek.jpg
144 posted on 09/19/2003 3:18:23 PM PDT by Cyber Ninja (His legacy is a stain on the dress.)
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To: OnTheDress
Goes to show a picture can be worth a thousand words...
145 posted on 09/19/2003 3:21:09 PM PDT by Keith in Iowa (Tag line produced using 100% post-consumer recycled ethernet packets,)
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To: All
He (David Schafer) did that by bringing on Sean Mills, who had run an interactive advertising agency in San Francisco.

Ah, San Fransisco, that bastion of fair minded journalism. Nope. There's nothing political in this decision.
< / sarcasm off >
146 posted on 09/19/2003 3:22:46 PM PDT by pyx
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To: Tijeras_Slim
Copyright law requires that the holder protect the property on a universal basis or else the broad protection may be deemed waived. A holder places his enforcement rights in jeopardy if he allows some infringers to do so unchallenged while at the same time he places others on notice to desist.

The law frowns on persons "sitting on their rights" and allowing others to invade them and then seeking to vindicate those rights when some other person does an act that constitutes the same or similar invasion. The Onion is absolutely correct in its notice and FR is indeed at risk with posters taking inappropriate license to post without considering the lawfully protected rights of others.

147 posted on 09/19/2003 3:23:14 PM PDT by middie (Middie)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
I dont' want a flame war, either. But I don't think it would hurt for people to reflect for a few minutes on how silly these rants against the Onion are. Maybe, they didn't write their letter in gentle enought terms for some of the extremely sensitive, thin-skinned Freepers.

Up until today, we thought the site was hilarious. A quick keyword searh of 'Onion' reveals tons of article whre we laughed at the humor and ourselves for foolishly taking the articles seriously without checking the source. Now some claim it was never funny. Talk about whiney!
148 posted on 09/19/2003 3:24:26 PM PDT by Diverdogz
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To: DannyTN
"Well, there goes my patronage of the onion. I used to go theref 2 - 3 times per week. "

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.

Ditto.

149 posted on 09/19/2003 3:24:54 PM PDT by mrustow (no tag)
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To: inquest
Perhaps they could have had a polite, kind explanation for why they must ask us to cease and desist, but I bet lawyers have a great reason not to do that.

Was it a good business decision? Probably so. When it was posted here, we had no reason to go to their site. Many freepers will now go to their site to read it anyway - so long as it is funny. Thus far, it has been.
150 posted on 09/19/2003 3:28:01 PM PDT by Diverdogz
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To: Diverdogz
When it was posted here, we had no reason to go to their site.

Sure we did. We went to the site to read more material. Moreso than most other sources of threads, I'd wager.

Many freepers will now go to their site to read it anyway - so long as it is funny.

Not judging by the comments here. Even those who don't deliberately boycott it will simply have fewer reminders of its existence.

151 posted on 09/19/2003 3:42:48 PM PDT by inquest (World socialism: the ultimate multinational corporation)
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To: middie
Good explanation.
152 posted on 09/19/2003 3:44:04 PM PDT by Diverdogz
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To: Jim Robinson
Heck, thanks to FR exposure I actually subscribed to the print edition of The Onion.

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

153 posted on 09/19/2003 3:44:12 PM PDT by Plutarch
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To: Diverdogz
Up until today, we thought the site was hilarious. A quick keyword searh of 'Onion' reveals tons of article whre we laughed at the humor and ourselves for foolishly taking the articles seriously without checking the source. Now some claim it was never funny. Talk about whiney!

FREEPERS CALLED 'WHINEY'
Other Freepers React Strongly

154 posted on 09/19/2003 3:46:48 PM PDT by Lazamataz (I am the extended middle finger in the fist of life.)
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To: middie
Copyright law requires that the holder protect the property on a universal basis or else the broad protection may be deemed waived. A holder places his enforcement rights in jeopardy if he allows some infringers to do so unchallenged while at the same time he places others on notice to desist.

You are correct sir. This is probably not anything even resembling a political decision.

Nonetheless, I hope those liberal mamby-pamby neosocialist Marxist bastards at the Onion curl up and get herpes.

Um, with me, of course. Cuz I need the sex.

155 posted on 09/19/2003 3:49:01 PM PDT by Lazamataz (I am the extended middle finger in the fist of life.)
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To: Keith in Iowa; OnTheDress
>>And my finger is raised.
Would that be the second digit raised from an otherwise closed fist?

HuhWha?

156 posted on 09/19/2003 3:50:32 PM PDT by Lazamataz (I am the extended middle finger in the fist of life.)
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To: inquest
I suspect that once everyone's misplaced anger susides, Freepers will start posting excerpts with links to their site much like we do Washington Post/LA Times. All the Onion has to do is post a funny article poking fun at Gray Davis, Bustemonte, Wes Clark....whomever. We'll run there as fast as we race to a Hitlary scandal Drudge Siren.
157 posted on 09/19/2003 3:51:58 PM PDT by Diverdogz
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To: Diverdogz
Freepers will start posting excerpts with links

NO WE WON'T!!! Did we do it with Washington Post? Did we do it with LA Times? NO! NEVER! A THOUSAND TIMES NEVER I SAY!

158 posted on 09/19/2003 3:54:02 PM PDT by Lazamataz (I am the extended middle finger in the fist of life.)
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To: Diverdogz
All the Onion has to do is post a funny article poking fun at Gray Davis, Bustemonte, Wes Clark....

Like that will happen.

159 posted on 09/19/2003 3:55:40 PM PDT by RightWhale (Repeal the Law of the Excluded Middle)
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To: Lazamataz
Now that looks like an Onion Story headline!

Let it be known that Lazamataz is a fungi.
160 posted on 09/19/2003 3:57:02 PM PDT by Diverdogz
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