A short while ago, around the time of the MoveOn.org "General Betray Us" ad there was a Café Press retailer who got a nasty-gram form MoveOn's lawyers. They didn't like the merchandise critical of the group and were claiming copyright violations in attempt to get the shop shut down. So I thought, "Here's an opportunity for a thoroughly Quixotic gesture." I opened my own Café Press shop selling merchandise that blatantly ripped off MoveOn's logo, but with a positive message about the group.

The idea was to see if they would come after me for violating their trademark if I was selling it with a message they agreed with. I'm sure by now you're all wondering, "Did it work?"

Two things happened. First, no one bought any of my pro Move.On merchandise. And second, even though I know the shop was reported to them through the contact form on their web site (I did it myself) I heard nothing for MoveOn or their lawyers.

I'm really not sure it means much one way or the other.

The problem is, having that stuff available with my name on it made me ill. It gnawed at me like a cancer on my soul. It had to go. And gone it is.

I didn't close the shop though. I decided to put it to better use. (Though perhaps equally Quixotic.) I have created new merchandise designed to highlight and remind people of a shamefully little read and more shamefully little understood document we used to call the Bill of Rights.

I'm a logical sort of person, so I started at number one. And it is available on shirts and mugs. Just in time for Christmas. They make the prefect gift for members of Congress.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 11:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment