[Nettime-bold] <nettime> Re: Unauthorized Use of Verizon Advertisement (fwd)

[eon <eon@live.info.war>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2001 16:11:55 -0600 (MDT)
From: bastard@gunsforkids.com
To: Roberta_Horton@aporter.com
Subject: Re: Unauthorized Use of Verizon Advertisement

> Verizon has just learned that you are operating a web site located at
> gunsforkids.com that prominently displays the VERIZON mark and logo in
> the form of an advertisement for certain Verizon long distance
> services.
>
> Accordingly, on Verizon's behalf, we demand that you immediately and
> permanently remove Verizon's advertisement, which contains the VERIZON
> mark and logo, from the gunsforkids.com site ... and take all other
> actions specified below.

I removed the banner ad from gunsforkids.com announcing that Verizon is
now offering long distance service in Massachusetts. In it's place I added
a News Alert link that warns people that Verizon is now offering long
distance service in Massachusetts. The News Alert will link to Verizon's
website where concerned internet users can see for themselves the details
of this alarming development.

> as well as from any other site that you may operate,

I have no banner ads for Verizon on any other site I operate. However, I
may decide to begin running many more News Alerts about Verizon (with
links to various Verizon webpages) on all my other sites so that people
can find out more about Verizon and what it is doing.

> your display of Verizon's advertisement ... constitutes ... unfair
> competition

Since Guns For Kids does not provide any telephone service, I wondered if
you meant that Verizon was already providing providing guns to kids in
some areas and perhaps that Verizon's prices were higher or its service
was worse than ours. In any case, my News Alert on my website will also
include that Verizon lawyers accuse Guns For Kids of "unfair competition".

I say "Verizon" so many times so that when the search engines come to my
websites where this reply to your threatening letter will be posted, the
search robots will see many instances of "Verizon" and index my websites
as possibly having general information about Verizon, or information about
whether Verizon long distance and cellular service is bad, or whether
Verizon is a powerful monopoly that interferes with individuals'
constitutional right of free speech.

This way, when people do searches on the internet for "Verizon" or "Should
I signup with Verizon" or "Does Verizon suck?", my websites will score
very high in their search results and all this information will be found.

>     As you well know, our client, which was formed last year by the
> merger of Bell Atlantic Corporation and GTE Corporation, is one of the
> world's leading providers of telecommunications services.  The public
> associates the VERIZON mark and copyrighted logo exclusively with
> Verizon and the telecommunications products and services that it
> offers.  Verizon owns numerous applications and registrations
> worldwide for the VERIZON mark, and operates a web site at [censored]
> at which its product and service offerings are described.

What is this? Did you think you could interest me in buying some Verizon
products and services? I will leave all your ad copy in this reply so that
the search engines index it with the rest of my site.

> We insist that you identify all persons at Media Filter involved in
> this conduct, and any other persons who have participated in your
> violation of Verizon's rights.

You can fire your incompetent paralegal. Media Filter has nothing to do
with any of this. I'm simply running one of their banners on my site too.
However, now that you've prompted me to look into that organization more
closely, I think I will contact them to see if there is any way we can
work together against Verizon and other powerhungry goliaths like it. As
to whether anyone else is acting with me, there is none. It's just me
against you and your juggernaut corporation. You should give up.

> If you do not comply fully with Verizon's demands by no later than
> close of business on Monday, April 30, 2001, Verizon will have no
> choice but to take all appropriate action to protect its valuable
> intellectual property.

Had some regular Verizon employee written to me and asked, "Hey could you
stop running that banner ad?" I would have gladly done so and that would
be the end of that. Instead, this billion dollar corporation sends its
lawyers to intimidate me and "demand" my silence. And if I do not obey,
then Verizon threatens to dispatch against me all the disposable zombie
corporate lawyers it can afford. Haven't you heard of
http://verizonshouldspendmoretimefixingitsnetworkandlessmoneyonlawyers.com?

You should have registered "gunsforkids.com" in addition to the other 706
domain names Verizon registered (at $70 each) to try to prevent the
existence of websites that it doesn't like.

Unless April 30, 2001 is the day that it actually becomes illegal to
publish anything that Verizon doesn't like, I'll still be criticizing them
at gunsforkids.com.  Come and see.

The Management
Guns For Kids

> bastard@gunsforkids.com on 04/27/2001 10:43:57 PM
> To:   Roberta Horton/Atty/DC/ArnoldAndPorter@APORTER
> cc:
> Subject:  Re: Unauthorized Use of Verizon Advertisement
>
> Roberta,
>
> I don't know what's in this attachment since I don't use these Microsoft
> products. Why don't you resend in ASCII format.
>
> The Management
> http://gunsforkids.com
>
> On Fri, 27 Apr 2001 Roberta_Horton@aporter.com wrote:
>
> > We are outside litigation counsel for Verizon.  Please see the attached letter
> > regarding your unauthorized use of Verizon's advertisement.
> >
> > (See attached file: DC_584232_1.DOC)


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