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CNN Doesn't Like Being Spoofed
scrm writes "After being online for only a week, the Fake CNN News Generator, a spoof of the CNN.com website, has been shut down after CNN sent them a threatening legal letter alleging copyright and trademark infringement. (Although the real reason is more likely to be because people were actually believing that the fake stories were true.)"
"CNN Doesn't Like Being Spo0fed", considering the domain name of the site in question?
.. if you go there. Better have a browser with brains or enjoy "Hot Adult Entertainment" ads.
How irritating.
I realize that this will get lots of "Use Moz!" type comments, but I'm at work right now, so it isn't a possibility. Spo0fed.com unleashed a slew of pop-ups on me, and a number of them attempted to install some sort of software. Slashdot seems to be fairly united in its hatred of pop ups, so why support them by linking to sites that use them in such an aggressive manner? I feel that its just as annoying as registration required sites, and should be avoided in the same way.
I suppose I may just be on a system thats already been hit with spyware, and if thats the case, please mod this down into oblivion.
Although the real reason is more likely to be because people were actually believing that the fake stories were true.
If that's the case, perhaps Slashdot should cast a very critical eye on the bbspot slashdot random story generator.
Slashdot is jumping the shark. I'm just driving the boat.
It affects your rights, you mindless troll, because everytime a website operator pulls the plug on his site due to a C & D letter from some big corporation, it makes every other guy who might have created a similar site think twice. Repeat after me the following words "Stifling effect". Say it again until you grasp it.
If privacy had a tombstone it would read "We did it for your own good" . -- John Twelve Hawks
Why can't people enjoy browsers with brains AND "Hot Adult Entertainment"? I want to have my cake and eat it, too!
A fake CNN new article, generated with said news generator, featured a story claiming that Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen (the infamous twins who began their carreer starring on Full House as an single, individual girl) had decided to attend Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. The story spread like wildfire on the campus, and around Springfield.
**The rumor was so widespread (thanks to the genuinity of the fake CNN news generator) that the story actually hit local news that night!**
I tried to stomp out the rumor in it's infancy explaining to everyone that sent it to me that it was fake, but to no avail.
----
"Those who quote others are more likely to one day be quoted" -Tom Planter
Although the real reason is more likely to be because people were actually believing that the fake stories were true.
Oh, come on. The web site generated pages that included the CNN logo! The real reason is obviously because whomever created this little toy was using the CNN logo without permission.
This falls into exactly the same category as the Dow Chemical thing from a few weeks back. Parody is fine as long as you don't actually use somebody else's logo. That crosses the line from fair use into trademark infringement.
Comments including the phrase "chilling effect" will be summarily ignored for the senseless drivel that they are.
I write in my journal