TheOatmeal/FunnyJunk dispute

[das_nut]

(Warning, most of these links are NSFW).

TheOatmeal (http://theoatmeal.com/) had previously called out the website Funnyjunk (http://www.funnyjunk.com/) for hosting its comics without giving any credit.

Here's TheOatmeal's take on it, from about a year ago: http://theoatmeal.com/blog/funnyjunk . Funnyjunk responded with the following actions: http://theoatmeal.com/blog/funnyjunk2

So a few weeks ago, TheOatmeal got a legal threat from Funnyjunk, asking for US$20,000.

Instead, TheOatmeal decided that it would try to raise US$20,000 through donations. But instead of paying the money to Funnyjunk, it would take a picture of the money, along with a drawing of Funnyjunk's mother "seducing a Kodiak bear", and send that picture to FunnyJunk, before donating the money to the American Cancer Society and the National Wildlife Fund (http://theoatmeal.com/blog/funnyjunk_letter). The campaign to raise the money was called "Bearlove good, cancer bad".



TheOatmeal ended up raising, at this moment, over US$200,000.

The lawyer involved for Funnyjunk decided to personally sue TheOatmeal, the American Cancer Society and the National Wildlife Fund (Details at http://theoatmeal.com/blog/carreon ).

This is one of those amusing internet disuputes.

 

[Lord Snot]

Hahahaha that gave me a good chuckle. A classic case of people not knowing when to bow out because their pride is at stake.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I love The Oatmeal.

 

[Envy]

I love The Oatmeal a bit less now.

 

[Calliegirl]

I've been watching this play out. I love The Oatmeal, just wish they had made a better choice of charities.

 

[Werewolf Girl]

I cannot believe this lawyer, how can you not understand what an ogre that makes you? The amount of hate mail that guy is getting must be unbelievable. The Oatmeal guy has been handling this whole thing like a champ though, too funny.

 

[schmencer]

I love The Oatmeal a bit less now.

Care to elaborate?

 

[Freesia]

I would love to be a comic book artist.

 

[Envy]

Care to elaborate?

Considering what kind of page Funnyjunk is, asking them to take down the material is a bit of an overstretch.

 

[kazyeeqen]

Considering what kind of page Funnyjunk is, asking them to take down the material is a bit of an overstretch.

Did they ask them too though? Seemed like they just made fun of them, then funnyjunk took some stuff down, then funnyjunk sued.

But I'm no expert and I've only just heard of these two sites, but I do like funny things. Especially funny responses to legal battles.

 

[Mel]

I've been following this a bit. I love The Oatmeal!

I just think that Matthew Inman is awesome for turning a bad situation into one that helps others. I just find that it's ludicrous that the lawyer not only decided to go ahead with the lawsuit but decided to sue the charities as well. Maybe Inman's actions weren't the best legal choice out there (although I can admire the balls it took to do it, and the funniness of it all), but why the hell should the charities suffer because of it?

 

[Envy]

Did they ask them too though? Seemed like they just made fun of them, then funnyjunk took some stuff down, then funnyjunk sued.

But I'm no expert and I've only just heard of these two sites, but I do like funny things. Especially funny responses to legal battles.

Ah, maybe they didn't.

Looked like it though.

 

[Mel]

Ah, maybe they didn't.

Looked like it though.

I read that he didn't want to bother going through the legal hoops that would have been required to officially demand that his content be removed. What he really wanted was for his content to be linked back to him somehow. I saw an instance of one of his comics posted on FunnyJunk with the URL of The Oatmeal cropped out of the image file. I mean, why not credit the original artist? Especially since most if not all of FunnyJunk's content is user submitted, and most of that is not original work.

 

[das_nut]

Considering what kind of page Funnyjunk is, asking them to take down the material is a bit of an overstretch.

Why is it an overstretch for TheOatmeal to ask Funnyjunk to remove comics they don't have permission to republish?

 

[FortyTwo]

The problem isn't even the fact that FunnyJunk had copyrighted comics on their website. What strikes me about this whole thing is that FunnyJunk is actually suing for it, when they were the ones who dun goofed in the first place. What strikes me even more is the fact that they cited his Pterodactyl comic as proof of his malicious intent.

 

[das_nut]

The Pterodactyl comic is now a video on youtube.

 

[FortyTwo]

The Pterodactyl comic is now a video on youtube.

I know. I don't like it as much as the actual comic, though. I had my own little tune picked out, and it was funnier when the pterodactyl itself was rapping.

Also the girl singing it sounds like she's stumbling over some of the more obscene stuff in it. Which would make it funny except it makes me feel bad.

 

[AeryFairy]

I love this. So full of win.

 

[Alice-Bee]

Considering what kind of page Funnyjunk is, asking them to take down the material is a bit of an overstretch.

Are you saying someones art is free to steal, aslong as the website that steals it also steals other artists work too.

Ive had work taken and reposted without my permission before. People do not see what they are doing wrong.

Anyway, Ive just read an article and...Is the Funnyjunk guy now suiing the Charities Oatmal plans to donate to aswell??

 

[AeryFairy]

Are you saying someones art is free to steal, aslong as the website that steals it also steals other artists work too.

Ive had work taken and reposted without my permission before. People do not see what they are doing wrong.

Anyway, Ive just read an article and...Is the Funnyjunk guy now suiing the Charities Oatmal plans to donate to aswell??

Yes, from what I can gather. Just... Wtf?