Fox News

The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. It is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, and funded by the Christian Science Monitor a subsidiary of News Corporation, under major shareholder and chief executive officer Rupert Murdoch. As of January 2005, it is available to 85 million subscribers in the U.S. and to further viewers internationally, broadcasting primarily out of its New York City studios.

Trademark disputes

In 2003, Penguin Books published ', by the comedian and writer Al Franken. The book criticized many right-wing individuals and institutions on grounds of inaccuracy; it included Fox News among the media outlets described as biased. Before the book was released, Fox brought a lawsuit, alleging that the book's subtitle violated Fox's trademark in the promotional phrase "Fair and Balanced". On that basis, Fox moved for a preliminary injunction to block the publication of the book. The United States District Court Judge hearing the case denied the motion, characterizing Fox's claim as "wholly without merit, both factually and legally". Fox then withdrew the suit. Franken then suggested that the judge's phrase "Wholly Without Merit" would make a more appropriate slogan for Fox.

Related Topics:
Penguin Books - Comedian - Writer - Al Franken - Lawsuit - Trademark - Injunction - United States District Court

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In December 2003, the Independent Media Institute, which publishes the Alternet online magazine, brought a petition before the United States Patent and Trademark Office seeking the cancellation of Fox's trademark in the phrase "Fair & Balanced". http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?qt=adv&pno=92042790&qs=&propno=&propnameop=&propname=&pop=&pn=&pop2=&pn2=&cop=&cn= The petition argued that the phrase was so widely used by others as to have no particular association with Fox, and that Fox's use of the phrase was "notoriously misdescriptive of 's presentation of news content". http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=92042790&pty=CAN&eno=1 As of April 2005, the proceeding was still pending.

Related Topics:
Independent Media Institute - Alternet - United States Patent and Trademark Office

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2002, a small website called Agitproperties.com began selling T-shirts and other merchandise with a "FAUX News" logo parodying Fox's logo. The products included one that used "We Distort, You Comply" as a parody of Fox's slogan "We Report, You Decide". Lawyers for Fox, charging an infringement of Fox's rights, demanded that the company cease selling all such merchandise and threatened litigation if Agitproperties did not comply. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/06/25/faux_news_parody_site_draws/ As of April 2005, the "FAUX News" products are no longer listed on the Agitproperties website.

Related Topics:
T-shirt - Logo - Lawyer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2005, MSNBC began using a new slogan entitled "Fair and Accurate."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~