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A Distorted Mirror: Automatic, Real-Time Web Parodies

Posted by timothy on from the achieving-parody dept.

Citing the DMCA, the World Trade Organization complained to Verio, the upstream provider of parody site gatt.org, a site we've mentioned before which jabs at the aims and methods of GATT and the WTO. Verio notified domain holder Jonathan Prince of the complaint, and asked Prince to remove any copyrighted materials from the site. The site appears intact for now, but read on to learn about the interesting software the complaint has spawned -- perhaps this isn't what the WTO had in mind.

As Andrew Bichlbaum writes: "The WTO could well have stepped on a hornets' nest. To counter the attack, Gatt.org managers The Yes Men have released a piece of open-source 'parodyware' that will 'forever make this kind of censorship obsolete. ... Using this software, it takes five minutes to set up a convincing, personalized, evolving parody of the WTO.org website, or any other website of your choice ... All you need is a place to put it -- say, WTOO.org, WorldTradeOrg.com, whatever.'"

4 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. Support the DDA! by Styx · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Domain Defense Advocate is a grass-roots organisation trying to combat unwarranted domain confiscations. IMHO, a very worthwhile thing to support.

    --
    /Styx
  2. Here are mirrors: by Saint+Aardvark · · Score: 3, Informative
    http://yesiwill.plagiarist.org

    http://detritus/projects/yesiwill

    Let's see how well they survive a slashdotting.

    --
    Carousel is a lie!
  3. Re:What does this have to do with My Rights?? by banuaba · · Score: 3, Informative

    that's actually incorrect. Remember Larry Flynt? He said that Jerry Falwell had fucked his mother. His (Flynt's) defense was "would a reasonable person believe that Jerry Falwell had actually fucked his mother" and, of course, the answer was no, therefore it was protected speech, not libel or slander or whichever one.

    --


    Brant

    Argle. Bargle.
  4. What gets me is this. by mindstrm · · Score: 3, Informative

    He was asked to remove it in a letter, in accordance with the DMCA.

    THe DMCA lets a copyright holder do this, to protect their work. They can write a letter, and have material taken down.

    However... the counter to this is that the person with the site merely has to send a letter back declaring that the information does NOT infringe on their copyrights. They then have a certain number of days to file suit or drop it.