CNN Is Not Amused by Web Parody
NewsMax.com Wires
Saturday, Jan. 27, 2001
WASHINGTON (UPI) – Internet satirist Zack Exley is at it again. After having launched a now-famous Internet site parodying President Bush during the campaign, his latest effort mocks the CNNfn Web site.
Exley, a Boston computer consultant, would perhaps be another Internet crank except for his semi-brilliance in the construction and content of his parody Web sites, and for the fact that he gets under the skin of those he is targeting.
In Bush's case, the satirical Web site led to the memorable quote from the then-presidential candidate that "there ought to be limits to freedom." That one line helped to make Exley and his Bush-parody Web site famous.
Exley hit the publicity jackpot again, this time with a parody of the CNNfn.com Web site. His satirical site CNNdn has CNN sufficiently piqued as to have its lawyers contact the alleged scofflaw.
The CNNdn site – the dn of which stands for "downturn" – features parodies on the economy such at the mock article covering investor Warren Buffet buying "three ailing dot-coms: Yahoo, e-Bay, and Google. Buffet said he would convert the companies into nonprofits and keep them afloat with his own money as a public service until contributors could be found."
Also there are such headlines as "Net chokes for lack of funding" and "Consumers sticking with old phones."
In a letter to Exley that alleges trademark infringement, a CNN attorney wrote the following:
Hypocrisy on First Amendment
"As a preface, we note that CNN's business depends upon its ability to gather and disseminate news and information under the protections of the First Amendment. CNN therefore recognizes and respects the First Amendment rights of others, including the rights of others to appropriately criticize or parody CNN," wrote Christopher Roblyer, representing CNN.
"That being said, CNN believes your actions impermissibly infringe and dilute CNN's rights in its famous CNNFN mark and infringe CNN's copyrights in the original content of its CNNFN.COM web site," the letter continued.
A back-and-forth communication has ensued between Exley and CNN legal counsel with the computer consultant mostly gaining the upper hand thus far in good publicity and not having to kowtow to the corporate giant.
"Nobody stands any chance of being confused," said Exley of his CNNdn site getting potentially mistaken for CNNfn. If CNN wins, "there is something wrong with the law."
According to Exley, visitor traffic to the CNNdn Web site has skyrocketed, with about 20 percent of traffic coming from the Turner.com domain, the "home" domain for CNN.
"It's not a grudge against CNN at all," Exley told news media. "I was planning on working on one about CNBC next. All these news sites and financial channels have been talking up the market for so long."
Exley believes that the Net simply levels the playing field by allowing individuals to publish material that can be read worldwide.
"I love publishing stuff on the Net. This technology is free and is available to everyone in the world," Exley said.
Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
