Just How Do You Define Parody On The Internet?

from the depends-on-how-quickly-you-get-the-joke dept

A very interesting article in the NY Times looking at the lawsuit concerning peta.org. PETA, the group, is the well known People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. However, the domain name was used since 1994 as a parody site for People Eating Tasty Animals. So, there's a legal issue of where does parody end and trademark infringement begin - and it might be with the domain. The basic argument has to do with whether or not you get the joke immediately - or if it takes time to register. I may not be the funniest person around, but I do tend to believe that "delayed" humor tactics work pretty well. The judge might want to read a book on how comedy works. It's not nearly as much fun doing a parody if at the very beginning you have to make sure the person knows it's a parody.

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