Web stokes anti-war movement. Web commentators paid tribute to the
organising power of the internet in marshalling tens of thousands behind
the 19 January protests against war in Iraq. They were the biggest since
the anti-Vietnam War protests of the 1960s, drawing, say organisers, an
estimated 850,000 people.
Sarah Sloan, an organiser with International Answer, the group that planned
the rallies, said for many participants, told Wired News that joining the
movement was as simple as typing "anti-war" into a search engine and being
directed to hundreds of related websites.
Wired News report.
International Answer's website.
The results of a Google! search for "anti-war"..
http://www.indexonline.org/indexindex/20030125_unitedstates.shtml
Lets go party!
'Let's go party!' The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by Mattel
Inc. over claiming the 1997 pop hit "Barbie Girl", which it said had
infringed on the toy maker's doll trademark.
The justices let stand a federal appeals court ruling dismissing the
lawsuit on the ground the song by the Danish band Aqua was parody and
social commentary covered by the US Constitution's first amendment free
speech rights.
The song featured a doll-like female voice impersonating Barbie, calling
herself a "blonde bimbo girl" and the line "life in plastic, it's
fantastic." A male singer, who called himself Ken, exhorted Barbie to "go
party."
Mattel, which has made the doll since 1959, sued MCA Records and its parent
company Universal Music, a subsidiary of French media giant Vivendi
Universal. Mattel argued the song, which sold more than 1.4 million copies
in the United States, could confuse consumers and dilute the power of the
Barbie brand.
MCA defended the song as "social commentary," saying the band's album
Aquarium, which included the song, also featured a disclaimer noting the
song was not sanctioned by the maker of Barbie dolls.
Reuters report.
The song lyrics.
San Francisco Examiner report on the original ruling.
Barbie's official website.
