Getting into trouble for speaking out!
I am a fan of Wal-Mart. I think their prices for clothes, especially when I was 100 pounds more, was very good and had nice fashions. That would be White Stag. When I am crafting I enjoy that section. And for medicines I always choose Equate, their brand, instead of the more expensive brands. I like their $7.50 movies. Though I believe it went up a buck from early 2005. I have a Kodak share camera and thought their large package of paper to print was a good price till I went to Costco. http://www.costco.com Oh, I still cannot find the damned receipt to return it! Because of that I now have way too many pictures to develop. And the box wasn't even opened! Maybe they have a high theft rate on this item? But at Costco their 1G memory card was over $10 more than Wal-Mart!
When money is tight I am a frugal shopper. I want the best deal to pay for the same item! I think they have a lot of fun stuff and my other half almost always cringes when I say I want to go there. I have no clue of what I throw into the basket is going to cost at the register. I get those rolled eyes, raised eyebrow, and tight lips when he signs the receipt. I have mastered the dead on stare back. Hey, how many things didn't get into the bag? What did I choose for another day? Or chose something else?
I saw the documentary on Wal-Mart. It is hard to say it is like a culture cult. They went to China and they were trying to sell plaid shirts, which the Chinese men would not be caught dead in. Daa! You have to know your customers! What is their culture, etc?
Oh, yeah, I was in Retail for eons. That is another story.
There was a couple who mortgaged their house and were about to loose it because their idea they pitched was not accepted at their suggested manufacturing price. After waiting what seemed forever, they had to come back with an altered version so they wouldn't get creamed in the deal. They made their product smaller and less detailed. But it did go to market. Finally! Hopefully before they had to foreclose!
I hear of the law suits and unhappy stories about their management policies. But that is nothing to this. And I think this is funny. Sorry for those who associate the last part of the word with human genocide, but this is what I found. And he is being sued for doing it. The man says he made a whippee $5.10 for a T shirt. Since I cannot copy the AP article, I will include the link... http://www.kirotv.com/money/8653675/detail.html
POSTED: 5:32 pm PDT April 12, 2006
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Walocaust
Disclaimer: wal-qaeda.com nor the owner/creator(s) have any affiliation with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. whatsoever. If you wish to visit Wal-Mart's site please try this link http://www.walmart.com/.
I created artwork critical of Wal-Mart's business practices, and published a website called walocaust.com. I then arranged for Cafepress.com, to put my designs on T-shirts, hats, bumper stickers and other items for sale on the Internet so that other people could display my designs and express support for the same positions. Wal-Mart threatened to sue me for infringing and diluting its trademarks and demanded I stop selling his items and stop using the domain name "walocaust.com" and transfer it to them. Wal-Mart made a similar threat to CafePress.com, which immediately stopped making and selling the items. With the help of some outstanding attorneys and organizations I am able to resist Wal-Mart's attempts to suppress the free speech of its critics.
View the Public Citizen Press Release -Click Here
Donate to Public Citizen -Click Here
I have now created new artwork critical of Wal-Mart's freedom hating tendencies. Again I am using the assistance of CafePress to disseminate my artwork on Tshirts and other items so that others who agree with me can express their views about Wal-Mart and its abuse of the trademark laws to threaten the free speech of all Americans. The artwork is available for purchase at Cafepress.com/wal-qaeda.
Disclaimer: wal-qaeda.com nor the owner/creator(s) have any affiliation with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. whatsoever. If you wish to visit Wal-Mart's site please try this link www.walmart.com
March 7, 2006
http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2148
Wal-Mart Critic Has First Amendment Right to Sell 'Walocaust' Items, Maintain Web Site Critical of Retail Giant, Public Citizen Tells Court
Georgia Man Developed Designs for T-shirts, Hats and More
WASHINGTON, D.C. A Web site and artistic designs created by Georgia resident Charles Smith to express his objections to Wal-Mart business practices are not only permissible under trademark law but are speech that should be protected by the First Amendment, Public Citizen said in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Atlanta, Ga. The lawsuit, filed with the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia Foundation, is available here. (10 page pdf.)
Smith, a Conyers resident, created designs critical of Wal-Mart that merged Wal-Mart name with the word holocaust and a star, and arranged for CafePress.com, a California company, to put the design on T-shirts, hats, bumper stickers and other items for sale on the Internet. Smith reserved the domain name "walocaust.com" and arranged for his items to be sold on CafePress.com.
In December 2005, Wal-Mart sent a letter and e-mail to Smith asserting ownership of trademarks in the name Wal-Mart, the star and the smiley face the company uses. The company threatened to sue Smith for infringing and diluting its trademarks and demanded he stop selling his items. Wal-Mart also demanded that Smith stop using the domain name walocaust.com and transfer it to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart made a similar threat to CafePress.com, which immediately stopped making and selling Smith items.
In the lawsuit, Public Citizen asserts that although Smith sold his anti-Wal-Mart merchandise, the designs themselves are non-commercial speech a type of speech currently protected from trademark infringement and dilution lawsuits. The lawsuit also states that there is no likelihood of confusion about whether Smith designs or Web site are sponsored or affiliated by the retail giant, a common trademark violation claim. The lawsuit requests the court to rule that Smith is not infringing, diluting or cybersquatting on Wal-Mart trademarks because his speech is protected by the First Amendment.
Wal-Mart is using bully tactics to silence its critics, said Paul Levy, the Public Citizen attorney representing Smith. Claiming a trademark violation is an abuse of the trademark law. If Wal-Mart were to succeed, this would have a profound effect on every artist, photographer or writer who uses product names to criticize companies.
Added Gerald Weber, legal director of ACLU of Georgia, Citizens should be free to creatively criticize even the biggest of corporations.
Poor dear: His problems mount for having free speech!
http://www.walocaust.com/site/?q=node/15
I am being represented pro bono by the attorneys below. While I wonÂt have to pay for their work, I have to pay for all of the expenses associated with this case, such as travel, lodging, filing fees, transcripts, etc.. Please help; you can donate directly to Public Citizen to support my defense.
Paul Alan Levy
Greg Beck
Lawrence Lessig
Jennifer Granick
Alan B. Morrison
Gerald Weber
Elizabeth Littrell
Margaret F. Garrett
Organizations
Public Citizen
Standard Center for Internet and Society
ACLU of Georgia
posted by LadyIrene @ 4/13/2006 08:52:00 AM
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