Hmm, I bet this wasn't a very nice Christmas present from the BBC for Andy. Didn't they learn anything from the Dr. Who knitting saga?
Tyson. On Sat, Dec 20, 2008 at 2:50 PM, Martin Deutsch <[email protected]>wrote: > Just spotted this in the newest Private Eye (dated 26th Dec)... > > > Andy Alcorn is a student whose hobby is computer programming. Three > years ago he designed a desktop "widget" for Apple Macs which allowed > users to tune in directly to the full range of BBC radio stations and > have them on in the background as they worked, rather than having to > search out individual web pages to do so. > > He estimates that the free software has been downloaded at least > 200,000 times. At the peak of its popularity, around 65,000 people > were using it to listen to the BBC. > > In October he was contacted by the BBC, which had tracked down his > private mobile number and home address. Was it to thank him for the > extra listeners he had pushed in the corporation's direction, or > offering him a job on the technology staff? No. Instead the "BBC > Litigation Department" informed him that while "the BBC does not > object to the reference of the BBC services ... you do not have the > authority to use the BBC logo and as such the use of it amounts to > infringement of the BBC's registered trade marks and of its > copyright." > > Alcorn was ordered to remove the logo from the widget, where it > appeared in a little box enabling people to knoiw what they were > listening to, and "provide signed written undertakings that you have > undertaken this step and that you undertake not to repeat your actions > in the future" or face legal action. > > All BBC logos have now been replaced on the widget with the letters B, > B and C, and licence fee-payers can now sleep easier in their beds. > - > Sent via the backstage.bbc.co.uk discussion group. To unsubscribe, please > visit http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/archives/2005/01/mailing_list.html. > Unofficial list archive: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > -- Fight Internet Censorship! http://www.eff.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Open-Source Community, and Technology Testbed: http://i9.house404.co.uk/
