What happens when you have no legal basis to sue a company who you wrongly perceive as a threat? Well, some companies try to pull favors with the US government and get a domain seized, ala RojaDirecta. Others, though, like the Premier League, hire a lawchurn (law firm which churns out threatening letters) and try to rub elbows with corporate buddies. I speak of NetResult.
For the last half decade, NetResult has been all over the interwebs, sending threatening letters to Soccerlens, TheOffside, and others. They’ve forced websites to remove logos, fixtures, and other so called “intellectual property” of the Premier League, Manchester United, Arsenal, et al. However, without getting into too much legalese, a large gap exists between US and UK law. In the US, we enjoy “fair use,” which basically means that you can re-use and alter an existing work of art to create a new piece of art. US law also acknowledges an economic reality: the use of a logo often has little financial repercussions to the copyright holder.
Not all have tucked in their tails. 101 Great Goals, like Roja Directa, has published and ignore the cease and desist letters for several years. No lawsuit has materialized (I wonder why……perhaps because it has no merit?). Thus, NetResult got down & dirty: they tried to take down 101 Great Goals from the iOS App Store. Apple laughed them off, but this means war. As someone who recently purchased a refurbished iPad, I will not let the delicate crystal prison, err, Mac ecosystem go to hell in a hand basket.
I propose we fight back. We must hit NetResult where it hurts the most. Continue reading “Post In Which I Parody the Scourge of the Soccer Interwebs: NetResult” »