p2pnet and SPAM can ban
p2pnet.net News:- A while back, Canada’s SOCAN got shirty about p2pnet’s use of its logo as a graphic in stories in which SOCAN featured.
Now Hormel, makers of the delightful luncheon meat product SPAM, have been offended by the same thing.
The main difference is: SOCAN’s protestations were childish and petty whereas Horman’s are understandable.
“We recently became aware of your Web site … and your use of our SPAM® product image, with the ban symbol over it, which is used on your site in a manner that draws a close association, and a negative one at that, between our famous trademark SPAM for meat and other products and the practice of sending unsolicited commercial email (”UCE”) (”spam”),” company lawyer Kevin Jones said in an email to p2pnet.
“While we oppose UCE, we object to your visual use of our product as a symbol of UCE. We have a policy of keeping our product image separate from information on spam or UCE. The reason for this is that we do not want to increase the connection or association between our product and the very negative image arising from this disfavored practice. It’s bad enough that the same word is used; it is even worse when our product image gets dragged in, as well.”
Fair enough. We see Hormel’s point. Who’d want to be associated with e-garbage? Also, SPAM was a mainstay for troops during World War Two.
So we’ve promised not to use the SPAM can in anything associated with, well, spam.
We also engaged in a brief Q&A which went as follows:
p2pnet: Have other sites which have also used the image been similarly approached? If so, how many and which ones?
Hormel: Yes, we have contacted numerous sites, which would be too much trouble to list and identify for you. If you know of any, we’d be happy to know about them for follow-up.
p2pnet: Will you be seeking to have Spamalot stage show closed?
Hormel: We have an agreement with the producers of the Broadway musical Spamalot. They are using that name with our permission.
p2pnet: Is it true Hormel Foods gave a gold can of SPAM to the first 100 people to buy tickets to the musical?
Hormel: The SPAM product distributed to the first 100 attenders were Golden Honey Grail, identifying the flavor.
We forgot to ask if it’s OK to associate SPAM with Vikings ; p
In the meanwhile:
and who dares mock Spam?
you? you? you are not worthy
of one rich pink fleck
And don’t forget SPAM-Ku: The Book!
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See:-
got shirty – SOCAN letter to p2pnet, p2pnet, July 16, 2004
Vikings – SPAM vs spam, p2pnet, November 2, 2004
January 11th, 2005 at 3:13 am
This is so funny their worried about their product SPAM being assoicated with e mail SPAM?????? This from a company called Hormel or do you spell it Whoremel ?????
January 11th, 2005 at 3:15 am
Tell me how many Whores does it take for Mel ????????
January 11th, 2005 at 11:05 am
Can we leave comments about banning SPAM? Or what about rhyming the word spam with other words like scam? Honestly, SPAM sucks. It’s horrible. I live on this rock, and EVERYONE eats that stuff, Spam and rice, SPAM and eggs, SPAM and blah blah blah. Maybe instead of wasting there time worrying about websites, they can worry about the obesity caused by SPAM…..
Keep up the good work,
DW
January 11th, 2005 at 2:49 pm
But I Don’t Like Spam!!!
SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAMeditdy SPAM
SHUT-UP!!
Bloody Vikings
August 21st, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Hilarious they’d be worried when the association has already been made.