Viewer Comments
| Scott@May 15, 2007 10:09 am |
| Damn, so the McDonald's legal team is breathing down your neck, eh? Did you take them to court and try and get a sympathetic judge? To be forced to shut down is in violation of the 1st amendment. And to allow this is retarded. [Original Post Date: May 5, 2004] |
| me@May 15, 2007 10:09 am |
| Your site is funny, humorous and well made. Unfortunately, it definitely violates McD's copyrights in more than one way. Good luck, tho! [Original Post Date: May 5, 2004] |
| pc@May 15, 2007 10:08 am |
| Don't McSign their McLetter [Original Post Date: May 5, 2004] |
| Ms. P@May 15, 2007 10:07 am |
| Don't you guys have free speech? If we can have porn galore, websites on how to make bombs, etc, how can someone threaten you and tell you to take your site down? McDonald's corp got all pissed when the word "mcjob" was added to a real dictionary (means a low-paying crappy job, basically). So they'll get pissy over anything. Also, I'm vegan so any remotely negative press sort of thing affiliated with the industry of slaughter is rad. [Original Post Date: May 5, 2004] |
| Brian@May 15, 2007 10:06 am |
| Stick to the parody defense. You're non-commercial, right? You're a parody. You only took enough McImages to conjure up the image of McDonald's in your readers' minds, right? And you're not doing them any market harm, at least not any that isn't based on legitimate criticism. They have no market interest in parodies of themselves. I think you can win this thing. Don't be chilled! [Original Post Date: May 5, 2004] |
| Conor@May 15, 2007 10:06 am |
| No doubt you're getting tons of ideas from emailers out there... BUT, though you will need to comply with MCD's and remove their logos, trademarked characters and indicia, you can refer to any McDonalds product and show images of them. You can show your own photos of the stores and their signage. And you can display your own images of their licensed characters. You must put a legal indicia somewhere on your page (like "XXXX is a registered TM and (c) of MCD's Inc.). And, you really do not need to release the domain to them. There is no way that your site name is in any way owned by them, or that you are in anyway violating © by owning it and making it accessible to the public. If your name was McDonald, it wouldn't hurt though... [Original Post Date: May 4, 2004] |
| D@May 15, 2007 10:05 am |
| The funniest thing about this whole matter is that after viewing your site all I can think about is french fries...mmhmmh... I think McDonald's should PAY you for the publicity you've been doing for free!! [Original Post Date: May 4, 2004] |
| Jeff@May 15, 2007 10:04 am |
| Boy, if you want to bring the legal department of a major multinational down on your head like a ton o' bricks, that's a pretty efficient way to do it. Is your friend given to other forms of self-destructive behavior? Maybe he'd like to put on a bright red do-rag and go find some Crips to taunt? [Original Post Date: May 4, 2004] |
| Anonymous@May 15, 2007 10:04 am |
| Isn't there a McDonalds w/in 1 mile of EVERYTHING? [Original Post Date: May 4, 2004] |
| Anonymous@May 15, 2007 10:03 am |
| Ummmmm... Why don't you go do something constructive ? [Original Post Date: May 4, 2004] |
| Eric@May 15, 2007 10:02 am |
| I probably wouldn't have ever seen your site if McDonald's hadn't pulled this stunt and, apparently, made a cause celebre out of you. I'm guessing increasing your popularity wasn't their intent. So I say, and I doubt I'm the first to come up with this witticism, McF*ck 'em. Okay, fine, they trademarked the Golden Arches and Ronald McDonald, fine, they can have that. But the "use of the 'Mc' formation"?!?!?! Gimme a break. I'll have to tell my cousin M***** McGrath that she's in danger of legal action. I mean, good grief, your site is a JOKE! And it's not even intended to have a particularly anti-McDonalds message, as far as I can tell. Bastards! [Original Post Date: May 4, 2004] |
| Brett@May 15, 2007 10:02 am |
| Remove the site, maybe. They have enough legal clout to achieve that. But turn over the domain? No. They would have to prove that the domain name has some usefulness or benefit to McDonald's corporation, and that potential customers might enter that domain name expecting to find something about McDonald's itself. Fat chance of that happening with 'mcmurder.com'. It's not even remotely comparable to someone starting up a FordAutomobiles.com domain, as an example. Ford MoCo could have reasonable claim on that. This has no inherent similarity other then the Mc at the beginning, which begs one to ask the question- is McDonald's going to start copywriting half the names in the Dublin, Ireland phone book? Try this- sell the domain to a gansta rapper named M.C. Murder. Surely there's at least one out there with that name. Much harder to effectively sue someone over a name that they operate under as an artist. Maybe JaRule's Murder, Inc. crew can do something with it. [Original Post Date: May 4, 2004] |
| M-A-M@May 15, 2007 10:00 am |
| Just found your site and it's Hilarious! How about a big F*CK YOU to the McDees legal team? You've undoubtedly heard this already but the legal system tends to allow parodies and satire and has found such use not infringing on a copyright or trademark. [Original Post Date: May 4, 2004] |
| W@May 15, 2007 09:59 am |
| your site is hilarious. if it were me I would do two things. 1- send a two word reply to the McLawyers. "McF*ck You" 2- contact the EFF for help. Things like this are why people like me donate to them. Oh and if you are setting up a legal defense fund. I'll be happy to donate. [Original Post Date: May 4, 2004] |
| Deric@May 15, 2007 09:58 am |
| your particular situation seems to happen pretty often. they're just trying to intimidate you; they don't want the cost of a court case anymore than you do, and they have the additional dissuasive situations of a) the public embarassment of bringing a doomed-to-fail frivolous lawsuit against a site that's clearly a joke and b) the desire not to give your site the extra publicity such a case would bring. don't cave....tell them to eat sh*t and die, as politely as you can stand to say it, or impolitely as you feel like saying it [Original Post Date: May 4, 2004] |
| John@May 15, 2007 09:57 am |
| This all sounds a bit like a Hollywood script. I am a libertarian socialist (also known as an anarchist) who is fully against all corperate crime, and aware of the reality behind conspiracy theories linked to the goverment, the state, and multi-national corperations. I do not dismiss conspiracy theories for insane idea's or leftist dillusions, as I personally believe there is enough evidence to prove many of them right. It is evident that the 'corperate' states of America may well be responsible for 9/11, which is an event that has gained the Bush administration popularity, economic stability, excessive amounts of support and money, and an excuse to invade all oil producing countries. Bush's energy policies (killing thousands by the year) are a more effecting way of keeping the population at a halt. But Ronald McDonald commiting the odd murder every now and then would not really effect the population. Don't you think that the food they serve is doing its job of killing just fine?. The answer for McDonalds being so close to homicide scenes is down to the fact that McDonalds are almost everywhere, and in America murders are almost everywhere. You have simply linked the two to produce a correlation that explains bullshit. You ask for tips, my tip is concentrate on reality and you'll be fine. [Original Post Date: March 31, 2004]
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| Justin@May 15, 2007 09:56 am |
| It was ronald I saw him!! swear to god." [Original Post Date: November 13, 2003]
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