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Jerry Falwell Wins Dispute Over Fallwell.com

Posted by timothy on from the thus-saith-the-court dept.

setzman writes "According to this article from CNN, conservative minister Jerry Falwell has succeeded in shutting down a web site run by a gay activist on the domain fallwell.com. The judge said it was 'nearly identical' to the registered trademark 'Jerry Falwell' name and was likely to be confusing to Web surfers." (This was a Federal case, held in the 4th Circuit Court.)

23 of 538 comments (clear)

  1. All I can say is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Praise Jessus. (Not to be confused with Jesus)

    1. Re:All I can say is by Short+Circuit · · Score: 5, Funny

      I still love remembering an old joke about names:

      A burgler breaks into a home, and is quietly walking around, finding valuable things to take.

      "Jesus is watching."

      The burgler freezes, looks around, doesn't see anything, and continues.

      "Jesus is watching."

      The burgler freezes again, and mutters, "Who's there?"

      "Gabriel."

      The burgler's flashlight comes to rest on the source of the sound, a parrot. He grumbles, "What kind of idiot names a parrot 'Gabriel?'"

      "The same idiot who named the Rottweiler 'Jesus.'"

      --
      tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
  2. Re:Sigh... by NineNine · · Score: 4, Funny

    it isn't that big of a deal and will probably turn into a huge flame war with comments.

    You're new here, aren't you?

  3. in related news by linuxislandsucks · · Score: 2, Funny

    In related news Ben Jery's Ice Cream won a judgemnt aginst Jerry Falwell for infringing on theri trademark as being nearly identical..

    --
    Don't Tread on OpenSource
  4. Re:A good ruling by CountBrass · · Score: 1, Funny

    Interesting? I say unto you foolish moderators No! and again No! Oh ignorant mods, how can a posting that confuses trademarks with copyright be "interesting".

    Now mpost4 I sentence you to 5 Hail Marys and 6 Hail Falwells.

    --
    Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
  5. Not clear by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    So, did the judge hold that the disputed fallwell.com was "'nearly identical' to the registered trademark 'Jerry Falwell.'"? It wasn't clear from the headline.

  6. When I first glanced at this story ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    ... I thought it said Jerry Falwell died. In a way (a very small way), I'm glad he's not, though. I don't think I could tolerate another Republican State Funeral. -1, flamebait.

  7. Re:A good ruling by Chess_the_cat · · Score: 2, Funny
    It is like if I try to get slashdo.org, and put up a anti Slashdot site, I would be in violation of copyright laws.

    No, you wouldn't.

    --
    Support the First Amendment. Read at -1
  8. This is why no sane person supports gay rights by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Not only do gays flaunt a perverse and destructive lifestyle which is an abomination to god and man, but their preffered method of advocating their cause is to resort to terrorist actions such as this.

    While I wouldn't oppose locking all the gays up on an island somewhere and then nuking it; I'd settle for making them let us god fearing people live in peace in our christian nation.

  9. Re:A good ruling by holt · · Score: 2, Funny

    Whoa... you had better watch out. Hail Marys are Roman Catholic. I'm pretty sure that Falwell would sue for defamation of character if he thought you were implying he was Roman Catholic as well...

    (Disclaimer: I was raised Roman Catholic.)

  10. Smart not to go to the 9th Circuit by karb · · Score: 5, Funny

    Headline : "Court rules religious websites illegal."

    --

    Jack Valenti and the MPAA are to technology as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone

  11. In other news... by The-Bus · · Score: 4, Funny

    In a related incident, The Alliance for Feline-Americans was dismayed at the loss of the FallWell.com domain, with their spokesman Richard Manx stating, "In this day and age it is imperative that young FAs [kittens] across this world learn how to land on their feet, literally. With this news he lose our hopes for establishing a website to teach youngsters how to learn this skill." AFA has been unable to secure LandWell.com, AFA.com, AFA.org, CatLand.com, 9lives.info or any other number of domains. When advised by Dr. E. Thomas Lanzburg of the Feline Health Center at Cornell that the ability to land on four feet seems to be in fact, genetic, the eminent biologist was clawed in the face by three onlookers.

    --

    Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.

  12. Re:A good ruling by CountBrass · · Score: 4, Funny

    You sure that's true? I thought porn' was protected as free speech in the US. (Bizarre really as I have to wonder how those women can say anything: they always seem to have their mouths full.)

    --
    Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
  13. Whats next? by The+Madpostal+Worker · · Score: 4, Funny

    Will www.godhatesfigs.com be shut down beacuse it is too similar to another site

    --

    /*
    *Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
    */
  14. Re:Stupid Ruling by CountBrass · · Score: 3, Funny

    THIS POSTING IS IN NO WAY ASSOCIATED WITH SLASHDOT NOR BOISCOUT'S POSTING, NOR IS IT AN ATTACK ON Mr BOISCOUT NOR DOES IT SEEK COMMERCIAL GAIN THROUGH ANY SUCH ASSOCIATION.

    Buy my book here that explains why boisscout is oh so wrong. All proceeds to my personal bank account.

    THIS POSTING IS IN NO WAY ASSOCIATED WITH SLASHDOT NOR BOISCOUT'S POSTING, NOR IS IT AN ATTACK ON Mr BOISCOUT NOR DOES IT SEEK COMMERCIAL GAIN THROUGH ANY SUCH ASSOCIATION.

    --
    Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
  15. People's names are copyrightable by aussie_a · · Score: 2, Funny

    Oh I didn't realise my name was copyrighted to me. Well considering my name is John Lynch, I have a bone to pick with a certain actor and a certain football player.

    I'd go after my grandfather but I think he may have prior art in that case actually.

  16. JennaJamesonSucks.Com by swb · · Score: 3, Funny

    Even if you didn't like her or her movies, it could be argued that this site was designed to take traffic away from another site, given the nature of the star.

  17. Anyone remember peta.org? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    This reminds me of the peta.org site - People for Eating Tasty Animals -that is!. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had peta.com. This guy registered peta.org and put up a site about eating meat and buying fur and stuff. A judge handed over the satire site to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It appears that the pendulum swings both ways.

  18. Re:A good ruling by CountBrass · · Score: 2, Funny

    I have Excellent Karma already, thanks but I have enough :-)

    --
    Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
  19. Re:A good ruling by general_re · · Score: 4, Funny
    What's a good, high-profit-margin product which is suitible to sell to people with defective critical thinking skills and rabid prejudices?

    Try this...

    :^)

    --
    ABSURDITY, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.
  20. Is falwell-is-an-ass.com taken? by workerbeedrone · · Score: 2, Funny

    No one would be confused by that.

  21. Re:A good ruling by Drakon · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's different because Google is the first corporation to stand for Truth And All That Is Good whilst Satan Falwell just needs to burn in hell for his crimes against humanity.
    A bouncy, purple, teletubby hell.

    --
    Buttsex.
  22. Re:A good ruling by Fjandr · · Score: 2, Funny

    Shh! Don't confuse the issue with facts!