Amazon Fights Piracy Tool, Creators Call It a Parody

jamie points out an interesting story which started a few days ago, when a pair of students from the Netherlands released a Firefox add-on which integrated links to the Pirate Bay on Amazon product pages. Customers who had the add-on would see a large "Download 4 Free" button next to items which were also available on the Pirate Bay. The add-on quickly drew notice, and the creators were hit with a take-down notice and threats of litigation from Amazon. Now, the students have removed the add-on, and they are claiming an unusual defense: "'Pirates of the Amazon' was an artistic parody, part of our media research and education at the Media Design M.A. course at the Piet Zwart Institute of the Willem de Kooning Academy Hogeschool Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It was a practical experiment on interface design, information access and currently debated issues in media culture. We were surprised by the attentions and the strong reactions this project received. Ultimately, the value of the project lies in these reactions. It is a ready-made and social sculpture of contemporary internet user culture."

Comments

Ahem

[Anonymous Coward]

Students from the Netherlands develop and post an addon to Firefox that links to torrents on a Swedish torrent tracker site, and has to take it down because of the American DMCA?

Since when does American law apply universally?

Please sort yourself out.

[jotaeleemeese]

You either believe this:

"The Amazon site is not being changed in any way whatsoever"

or this

"The Firefox addon only modifies the way the page appears to the user of the browser where that addon is installed"

The mental gymnastics that some people perform are worthy of an Olympic gold medal...