Best Buy Hands Out Cease & Desist Letters for Christmas 332
arrenlex writes "Improv Everywhere, a NY-based comedy group, was served a Cease & Desist notice by Best Buy for selling 'improv everywhere' shirts modeled after the blue Best Buy uniform. But that's not the interesting part. From the blog post: 'Here's where the story gets interesting. Today, Best Buy sent a C&D to our friend Scott Beale over at laughingsquid.com threatening legal action unless he removes the blog post referencing our shirts! They're threatening to sue someone for just covering the news story of the shirts!'"
Are they going to go after the T.V. Show "Chuck" ? (Score:5, Interesting)
What about Chuck? (Score:5, Interesting)
But that's OK for them to do that on national TV and get away with it on a weekly and ongoing basis. The reason is probably that the people who run and work at BB are infinitely more incompetent than the people who work at the fictional Buy More.
Re:Are they going to go after the T.V. Show "Chuck (Score:2, Interesting)
Classic Lawyer Spew (Score:2, Interesting)
In better cases, it's simple intimidation. In the worst case scenario, the lawyers actually hope to get something out of everyone. Either way, a polite letter back that says, "Nothing to see here. Move along." will pretty much chase the scum bags away.
Like the RIAA file sharing lawyers, the jokers pulling this stunt should be dragged before their respective bar association and flogged with paper clips. ( or whatever the bar does to punish lawyers)
Re:BestBuySux (Score:4, Interesting)
back story (Score:5, Interesting)
so they went to the chelsea best buy, hundreds of them, in blue shirts, and pretended to be assistants throughout the store, perhaps more helpful than actual staff in some cases
customers were amused and bemused, management went apeshit, the best part is the the black chick who goes "it's like that movie, 'the thomas crown affair'"!
but seriously: this is all a case of people with too much time on their hands: the best buy "actors" in the original "event", AND the lawyers suing them
and isn't there some sort of legal protection for comedy, jokes, mockery? the law that protects political cartoons for example. would they have a case with that? obviously IANAL, as i can't even remember the legal term for this sort of "mockery" that is protected
Re:Don't estimate. Litigate! (Score:2, Interesting)
Once you've gotten to the point of having full time lawyers (and I'm sure a company the size of Best Buy has many), doing shit like this becomes second nature. I mean, if you've got the manpower, presumably salaried, you can have them do whatever you want as long as it fits in their 9 to 5 work day and not "waste" anything. WHo knows, maybe they just had some downtime in legal and the lawyers got a little bored.
They say that idle hands are the devil's playground. And that's just hands in general. What do you think that says about lawyer hands in particular? Best Buy probably tasked them with this frivolous legal activity merely to avoid unleashing the horrific fury of idle lawyer hands! I wouldn't be surprised if the fear of bored/idle lawyers is the source of half the litigation in the US.
-matthew
Re:What is Best Buy thinking? (Score:3, Interesting)
During the holiday season at Wal-Mart, I see people buy these huge TV sets that can't possibly fit into their little car and discard the boxes in the parking lot. I'm not surprised if someone tried to return the box and the store didn't check the actual contents.
Re:Are they going to go after the T.V. Show "Chuck (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:What is Best Buy thinking? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:What is Best Buy thinking? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Fuck Them (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, to be fair, BB does have its purpose.
I like to see and hold things I want to buy, if possible, in meatspace....just to make sure I like and want that item.
I then go home, and order it online for free shipping, no tax (about 9% down here), and in a week or so, I have it. Not to mention, ever since I was a kid, I just loved getting things in the mail....
Re:Fuck Them (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Are they going to go after the T.V. Show "Chuck (Score:3, Interesting)
Cheers,
Dave
Re:What is Best Buy thinking? (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Fuck Them (Score:5, Interesting)
Letting tech folks like ourselves get tied up in the legal process details can lead to errors in judgment. We think, "Technically I did X, not Y so I'm not really guilty." Baloney. Put it in front of a judge and the response is generally, "Your actions speak for themselves. Stop wasting my time."
Re:NewEgg is a much better option (Score:3, Interesting)
We also have sears and costco, but I wouldn't buy anything there unless they had what I wanted but they rarely do. We have 'the source by circuit city' which seems to own all the old "radio shacks" in the malls, and its pretty lousy. We have costco, but I'm not a "member", but I've been through them and don't find it terribly compelling.
As for the tire store? Canadian Tire, not really. You might buy a $60 DVD player there I guess, or a clock radio... but not an HDTV or a computer.
I buy computer electronics online, or from 'hole in the wall' computer shops (who often mostly deal online).
But home electronics like TV's, speakers, stereos... its "beyond horrible" here too.
BestBuy/FutureShop has driven everyone else out of business, and dealing with bestbuy/futureshop is a nightmare. Product knowledge is what's written on the sticker in front of the product, and they even get that wrong half the time. The best product is the one with the highest margin, or even more likely the one with the best rewards program from the manufacturer. Luckily it looks the best on display too. (That its the one with the blueray player while the rest of the TVs are all connected by RCA splitters to a VCR and someone's gone and turned the contrast down is all beside the point.) And you definitely need a $400 monster power conditioner to ensure that your television picture looks its best...
Sure you can still walk into a Bang&Olufsen but that isn't 'consumer electronics' either. That's 'you have too much money and want a cd player that opens like a flower'... oh and we have "the Sony Store" which is great if you want to pay too much, and see Sony TV's next to other Sony TV's and only want know what size Sony TV to buy while speaking to reps who don't know squat about non-Sony product but still "know" that sony's X is better than anyone elses X. Comparison shopping at its finest! But that's beyond useless as I refuse to buy sony branded products anyway. I suppose the one good thing is that lines are short in there even during the holiday rush. And its fun to ask them if they have Wii's or 360's in stock.
Re:What is Best Buy thinking? (Score:3, Interesting)
Dude, it most sooo suck looking like a retail manager. That's almost as bad as looking like a burger flipper. I'm glad I THINK I look like someone about to go postal. My wife thinks I'm cute and don't look like the nerd that I am. Hmmm...book, cover, and judging seem to fit here somehow.
Re:Fuck Them (Score:5, Interesting)
The video and pcictures of their prank? Wonderful. Easily defended as parody. The special edition set with included best-buy shirt? Yeah, that probably gets a pass. Call it gray-zone. The shirt as a standalone, context optional? Sorry, that's pretty obvious infringement.
Not that I'd call Best Buy's lawyers smart given the Streisand Effect, but legally I'd have to side with Best Buy's position.