WEEKLY NEWS - MAY 21, 2008
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The parody publicity problem
Peter Ollier, Berlin
Academics yesterday addressed the tricky question of how to deal with trademark parodies at a well-attended session on freedom of expression and unfair competition
The panelists entertained attendees with slides showing some controversial parodies of well-known US brands, including computer store owner Charles Smith’s characterization of US retailer Wal-Mart as Wal-Qaeda and Walocaust. Wal-Mart sued Smith for trademark infringement and in March this year the judge dismissed the suit. European- style parodies include the Tanya Grotter books—a popular Russian parody of the Harry Potter series that led to a lawsuit in the Netherlands.
