Holy Cow! A Freebie!
Once in a while, a confusion of ideas comes along that is so basic and so obvious that the post practically writes itself. According to this NPR story, a Frenchman named Franklin Lufrani is in a battle with Wal-Mart over who owns the rights to the yellow smiley face. Franklin did not invent the smiley, he’s just the first person to think to register it as a trade mark. Here’s where the confusion of ideas comes into play. Quoting the NPR story:
“Wal-Mart will tell you that it has become so common and it is so ubiquitous as to not be protectable. That was one of Wal-Mart’s contentions”
BUT
Wal-Mart wants to patent its version.
Here is probably more than you ever wanted to know about that saccharine symbol.
Here are a few working examples of gooooogle ads, should you happen to be a collector.
Free Smilies100% Free Download Smiley CentralSmileyCentral.com/
Smiley FaceWinks, Emoticons, Avatars & more. Express yourself with MSN MessengerMessenger.MSN.com
posted by breakerslion @ 4:50 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
If the public schools have to start paying royalties on smiley faces, the nation has no future.
No smiley faces means that 80% of all children under age 10 would no longer turn in assignments, plus public school teachers could no longer conceal their seething hostility in notes they leave in each others in-boxes in the teacher's room.
I'm telling you, it's a bad idea. This culture must have unlimited smiley face access or America is doomed.
I was certain that this was all properly chronicled in Forrest Gump.
I can't believe that it's come to this. Walmart will bring us all to the brink of the abyss with this final senseless act of avarice.
This time they've gone too far. Now it's personal!
I personally despise the smiley but I (or a proxy of my choice) would gladly lay down their life to protect your god given red white and blue right to annoy other random people on the internet with those f*#@ing things.
Have a nice day my ass!
I'm back (decided to resume blogging too, but that's for another day). Funny how smiley faces just bring out the best in all of us. I personally prefer the nasty evil puke face that you only get with Skype. Wonder why Wally world doesn't adopt that one?
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