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Thanksgiving Tradition: Bogus Legal Threats From Stores Against Posting Black Friday Prices
from the goes-well-with-Turkey dept
It seems like every year we get a story like this. The day after Thanksgiving is known in the retail business as "black Friday," as it's a huge shopping day. Many of the big chain stores hold massive sales on that day, which usually are detailed in newspaper circulars. However, there are a variety of websites that post the details of the sales well before Friday, and it seems to have become a Thanksgiving tradition for the stores to send out bogus cease-and-desist letters demanding that the info get taken down. This year, Wal-Mart has added a unique twist on the tradition: it's sending letters to various sites before they've even posted the info. The letters claim that the info is protected by copyright law, but that's not exactly true. Price information is considered factual information -- which (as we were reminded just this week) cannot be covered by copyright. Other information in the flyers could be covered by copyright, but just the prices are not. Just like in the past, it seems that these efforts are really just designed to intimidate these sites.
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Seriously, use that kind of exposure, don't quash it. Who ever thought this policy up ought to be relegated to the anals of history and a sign hung for posterity....or the anal moron should be kicked in the posterior...
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a plot
I wonder how many other people feel that way, how many will actually do it to "spite" Wal-Mart, and ... is this actually Wal-Mart's intention? Free advertising!
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Don't shop at WalMart
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I'm sure you mean "annals"...right?
"you're just supporting the exporting of jobs anyway"
Do you even understand economics?
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That being said, I think there may be a problem with the "price information is considered factual information" argument. That argument is on solid ground when referring to current or historical prices. But I would expect it could be problematic when referring to possible prices that have not yet been set and won't be for some time in the future. Until such time as it has been set as an actual price, it's merely informed speculation as to what a price might be.
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Re: Mark Murphy
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Re: Don't shop at WalMart
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Death to WalMart.
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Unfortunately, it works
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Free promotion via the Striesand Effect
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Wal Mart Running Scared
It concerns how their prices in their stores are not to be copied or transmitted or they will call the cops.
Now the Black Friday problem. Why are they so scared?
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Re: Death to WalMart.
Masters in economics means you are a socialist elitist who thinks everyone should have tenure and not have to work to earn a dime.
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Wow...well your command of the facts has convinced me.
I actually like the anti-Walmart elitism. It let's me know who's a poser that has never had to stretch a dollar, and who has actually had to carefully provide for a family.
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WalMart Shoppers ...
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Re: Re: Death to WalMart.
Huh? I know a lot of people with economics degrees and have never heard any of them make a statement anywhere close to that. Your argument is not very good to begin with, it completely misses the point, but that last comment destroys any credibility that you may have had.
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Blind to Reality ...
Too much to write here, but in simple form ... most goods in WalMart are imports from China which increases US foreign debt and reduces US manufacturing. Money flows out of the country and increases our foreign debt which helps to lower the value of the US dollar, plus, meanwhile the Chinese income and lifestyle increase while US workers lose production jobs. The rising Chinese dollar and lower US dollar will certainly cause imported (Walmart goods) to rise. Expect higher US taxes with less service soon to go along with that.
Walmart's business practices and the way it uses only part time workers just adds to the problem of the ailing US economy.
How do I miss the point, ... I think it is you who are shortsighted and not seeing that you are killing your own standard of living. The world is flat and the US has to get itself in shape to compete ... and right now, it is losing the battle.
Do yourself a favor and fight against corporate greed and those lining their own pockets while killing the US economy. Bring back integrity and social conscience to the US rather than just everybody looking out for themselves for short term gain.
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Re: Don't shop at WalMart
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Re: Blind to Reality ...
That comment right there proves you have no idea what your talking about. How the hell douse WalMart buying Chinese stuff add to a debt that is owed by the government?
As for US Manufacturing, Yes let's all go and buy only things that are made exclusively in the US by the big corporations you so despise for more money. Those $12 pants, imported, Local $20. We have minimum wage laws, safety regulations, and a masive overabundance of taxes that increase prices. Example, Min wage was raised by over two dollars in PA, all prices went up accordingly. For someone on a budget (have you ever been on one?) that's a vary bad thing.
I applied at WalMart after college. They offered me over $10/h with stock options, health care, and payed vacation for stocking shelves full time.
WalMart isn't an evil corporation, you're just falling into the same trap as everyone is with Google. Once a company gets to a certain size, people start thinking it's evil even without prof.
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Re: Blind to Reality ...
As for your passage "most goods in Wal-Mart are imports from China which increases US foreign debt and reduces US manufacturing. Money flows out of the country and increases our foreign debt which helps to lower the value of the US dollar, plus, meanwhile the Chinese income and lifestyle increase while US workers lose production jobs. The rising Chinese dollar and lower US dollar will certainly cause imported (Walmart goods) to rise. Expect higher US taxes with less service soon to go along with that." I understand this all very well.
So again, I am supporting your argument. You may want to ease off the elitist rhetoric lest you prove anonymous coward right.
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As for Walmart... I agree, it has initiated a few good things, and I will also admit that it isn't the antichrist in disguise. However, for the damage it does to the economy I can only despise it. If you look at county records you will see that nearly everytime it moves into a new location it causes more loss of employment than it creates jobs. Not only that, but by importing most all of it's product while exporting nothing it continues a dangerous downward spiral in the national economy. Some rationalize it by saying it's a changing market and if your business couldn't stand the competition then it only proves that the competing businesses provide better service/goods at lower prices. That is a fallacy. Three stores in my area just went out due to the economic pressure of Walmart and all three of them offered lower prices and one on one service for equal or better quality product. Walmart simply crushed them with money and glitter. Say what you want, wear all the blinders you want. But when the rug get's jerked out from under you don't whine to me. You did it to yourself by refusing to educate yourself to the realities of the world you are creating.
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Legal Threats
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Black Friday Wal-Mart
Also, one other thought/question that I would be interested to know if anyone has ever researched. While price information is factual and can't be protected, you can still have a copyright in the compilation of specific price information. It is a very thin copyright (assuming it exists at all) but would that not be enough to say that these sites are infringing the compilation of public information and not just one price?
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Re: Black Friday Wal-Mart
You need to tell that to Walmart.
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Re: Re: Blind to Reality ...
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Pricing information falls squarely within the domain of trade secret law, so using the word "bogus" is misleading.
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