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Toyota Demands Removal of Fan Wallpapers

Posted by Soulskill on from the see-what-sticks dept.

An anonymous reader writes "TorrentFreak reports that Toyota's lawyers have recently contacted computer wallpaper site Desktop Nexus in a blatant example of DMCA abuse. Toyota issued a blanket request to demand the immediate removal of all member-uploaded wallpapers featuring a Toyota, Lexus, or Scion vehicle (citing copyright violation), regardless of whether Toyota legally holds the copyright to the photos or not. When site owner Harry Maugans requested clarification on exactly which wallpapers were copyrighted by Toyota, he was told that for them to cite specifics (in order to file proper DMCA Takedown Notices), they would invoice Desktop Nexus for their labor."

5 of 594 comments (clear)

  1. just to ease the progress of the streisand effect: by wjh31 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    http://cars.desktopnexus.com/cat/toyota/

  2. Re:In a related move Toyoda.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Go look at the founder's name, then stop apologizing for the slip :D

  3. Bill and bill alike. by Ostracus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    " When site owner Harry Maugans requested clarification on exactly which wallpapers were copyrighted by Toyota, he was told that for them to cite specifics (in order to file proper DMCA Takedown Notices), they would invoice Desktop Nexus for their labor.""

    And then he invoices Toyota for complying with each and everyone of them to the tune of the same dollar amount their bill is. Two can play this game.

    --
    Shai Schticks:"You don't make peace with friends, you make peace with enemies"
  4. Re:In a related move Toyoda.... by bhtooefr · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Indeed - Toyota is actually an intentional misspelling, because of the number of strokes for the Japanese characters being luckier or something. It'd be like Henry Ford calling his company the Fort Motor Company, because the word sounded better.

  5. Re:Will Fail by timeOday · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Toyota could only be right if the images they specify were TAKEN BY TOYOTA.

    What is what makes this sentence in the article so bizarre: "The site's owner, Harry Maugans contacted Toyota to clarify. He was told that all images featuring Toyota vehicles should be removed, even images with copyright belonging to others." If that sentence is true, Toyota is admitting it does not hold the copyright to others' images of Toyotas, yet still claiming the right to control copying!