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              | Date: 2002-07-23 
 
 Zensur: E$$O gegen GreenpeaceEigentlich darf man E$$O so gar nicht mehr schreiben, jedenfalls nicht wenn man Greenpeace Frankreich heisst. Die Ölbarone sitzen auf Fantastillionen und dürfen jetzt verlangen: wer "E$$O" ins Netz schreibt, muss täglich dafür 5000 Euro zahlen.-.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.-
 
 A veteran environmental group is facing several lawsuits in connection with doctored logos that were posted on its protest websites.
 
 In one of these cases, Greenpeace, along with several coalition partners, has been waging a campaign against petroleum giant Esso, claiming that the firm has done "more than any oil company to block international action on global warming." As part of this campaign, it created a special logo based on Esso's insignia, but replaced the double "s" in Esso with a double dollar sign ("$$"). These logos were posted on several Greenpeace-related websites, including a special "Stop Esso" webpage in France. The oil conglomerate's French subsidiary then sued Greenpeace's French division and the division's webhost (Internet FR) in a Paris court, on the grounds that the altered Esso symbols damaged its reputation (while curiously claiming that the lawsuit had nothing to do with Greenpeace's right to protest). The presiding judge threw out the lawsuit against the webhost, but issued a preliminary injunction against Greenpeace France's use of the doctored Esso logo pending a full trial; if Greenpeace fails to comply, it could be fined 5000 Euros per day.
 
 In a statement, Greenpeace called the ruling "a blow to freedom of expression on the Internet" and "climate protection." One of the group's spokespeople Stephanie Tunmore, labeled the lawsuit as "just another attempt by Esso to use its money as a means of continuing its dirty business unhindered. ... Esso's action in taking Greenpeace to court has simply made its bad reputation worse." A number of cyberliberties groups have spoken out in support of Greenpeace, including Imaginons un Reseau Internet Solidaire (IRIS-a GILC member), which expressed concern over how trademark laws increasingly were being used to stifle criticism and otherwise threaten noncommercial activities.
 
 Subsequently, another company sued Greenpeace on similar grounds. Nuclear processing firm Areva has launched a legal action against Greenpeace France, Greenpeace New Zealand and Internet FR, over another protest logo, which had a stylized skull as the shadow of the firm's corporate symbol. A formal hearing date on this second lawsuit has yet to be scheduled.
 
 For more on the Areva lawsuit in French (Francais), read Christophe
 Guillemin, "Greenpeace
 France a nouveau assigne pour detournement de logo," ZDNet France, 18 July
 2002 at
 
 http://news.zdnet.fr/story/0,,t118-s2119386,00.html
 
 To see Greenpeace's anti-Areva logo, click
 
 http://www.greenpeace.fr/campagnes/nucleaire/retraitement/index.php3
 
 To read the text of the Stop Esso ruling (in PDF format), click
 
 http://archive.greenpeace.org/esso/essofrdecision.pdf
 
 A Greenpeace press release on this subject is posted under
 
 http://www.greenpeace.org/news/details?news_id=17797
 
 The French Stop Esso website is located at
 http://greenpeace.fr/stopesso/
 
 For an Esso press release on this subject (in PDF format), click
 
 http://www.esso.com/eaff/essofrance/pdf/Esso_France_lawsuit_against_Greenpea
 ce_july_8.pdf
 
 An IRIS press release about the French Esso case is available at
 
 http://www.iris.sgdg.org/info-debat/comm-esso0602.html
 
 
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 edited by Harkank
 published on: 2002-07-23
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