From the AP:
Fox News Channel has sued liberal humorist Al Franken and the Penguin Group to stop them from using the phrase “fair and balanced” in the title of his upcoming book.
Filed Monday in Manhattan, the trademark infringement lawsuit seeks a court order forcing Penguin to rename the book, “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right.” It also asks for unspecified damages.
Fox News registered “Fair & Balanced” as a trademark in 1995, the suit says.
Franken’s “intent is clear — to exploit Fox News’ trademark, confuse the public as to the origins of the book and, accordingly, boost sales of the book,” the suit said.
Calls to Penguin and Franken’s publicist were not immediately returned. The book is due out next month.
Lisa deMoraes has a few choice words about this:
In its fair and balanced way, Fox News refers in its suit to Franken as an “unstable” and “shrill” “C-level commentator” who is “not a well-respected voice in American politics.”
The attorneys do concede that Franken “achieved some renown as a comedy writer in the 1970s when he worked for the television program ‘Saturday Night Live’ ” but add he since “has attempted to remake himself into a political commentator” and “is neither a journalist nor a television news personality.” (Note the distinction being made between “journalist” and “television news personality.”)
“His views lack any serious depth or insight,” Fox News sniffed for good measure.
And in its fair and balanced way, the suit filed by Fox News refers to Fox News Channel as that “world famous” cable channel.
The biggest star in the FNC firmament, Bill O’Reilly is, according to the suit, “a national celebrity.”
The suit also takes issue with the preliminary cover of Franken’s book, which, the attorneys charge, resembles the cover of an O’Reilly book called “The O’Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life.”
The use of “fair and balanced” in the title and the resemblance of the cover to the O’Reilly book is “likely to cause confusion among the public about whether Fox News has authorized or endorsed the book and about whether Franken is affiliated with FNC.” They are referring, of course, to the large segment of the population that still counts with its toes.
Fox News, Rupert Murdoch’s cable news spinoff of The Simpsons animated series, sued Al Franken, mainly because those words, “Fair and Balanced”, is the network’s toilet paper to wipe up all the hate and innuendo and threats and insults it lashes out at its enemies, real and imagined, that leak out of its mouth/behind. They can’t very well give up on using toilet paper now can they?
A PERSON THAT IS ALWAYS TRYING TO SUE A COMPANY
A PERSON THAT IS ALWAYS TRYING TO SUE A COMPANY
I think this is the most ridiculous piece of crap I have ever read. Clearly, if Fox News owns the rights to the phrase “Fair and Balanced” then Mr. Franken cannot use it. That’s simply the law. I’m sorry that “celebrities” in Hollywood think they’re above the system, but they’re not. And I can completely understand why Fox News would not want to be confused with Mr. Franken and his associates.
Well, Fox News AKA FAUX PAUS NEWS lost the lawsuit because it was frivolous. Maybe, the Nazi FAUX PAUX News Network ought to shut the fuck up before complaining about frivolous lawsuits which they themselves do just like the rest of the Hitlerite Republican Party.