BlogsCanada vs. the Government of Canada

Right, I'm a bit out of my depth, here--there's a damn good reason I never write about politics or the government or any of that stuff. But, anyhow, Jim Elve sent out a mail to everyone who's listed as a top Canadian blog (blimey!), asking us to call attention to his plight, so I am.

Here's the deal: silly ol' Jim's gone and nicked the Government of Canada's corporate branding, and they want it back. That's their side of the story, anyhow. He says it's all a matter of perspective, and God being in the details, and so forth. I'm not sure his arguments hold up--it's all still very recognizable--but the fact that he's barking up the wrong tree doesn't necessarily mean he hasn't got a point. As it stands, the layout verges on being a parody of the Government's site, which should constitute fair use, if I'm not vastly mistaken. I mean, think of it this way: most of the blogs featured on Blogs Canada are about politics, from what I can gather. Jim writes about Canadian politics all the time, and he's not got much in the way of arse-pat for the good old GoC. Associating political critique with the Government's look and feel puts it more or less within the bounds of what I'd consider parody. Whether a court of law would agree or not, that's another matter entirely.

If BlogsCanada were my site, I'd play up the parody angle like mad. I'd replace the tagline "Definitely NOT the Government of Canada" with something incredibly witty and incisive, which would take me several weeks to think up, but I'd pretend it just popped into my head. I'd replace the maple leaf on the flag with a winking smiley. I'd put up a mailbox for problems and complaints, and label it "Revenue Canada". I'd really have a go, in other words. I'd make ol' wossname from the legal department sorry he ever called attention to the issue.

Of course, if the government decides to press the issue, I imagine Mr. Elve'll get squashed like a bug. They'll tie him up in court for ages, and by the time a verdict comes down, he'll be broker than I am. Even if he wins, he'll default on his hosting bills, and BlogsCanada'll blow away like smoke on the wind. Problem solved. Same thing happened to Mr. P a while back: he dared to poke fun at the Coca-Cola logo, with an irreverent T-shirt reading "Enjoy Cock!". Although he wasn't making a profit from said T-shirt, and it was most certainly a legitimate parody, Coca-Cola came down like a ton of bricks. The shirt was taken down, and that was that. It made a brief cameo in my journal, when it caused me some unexpected embarrassment, then faded sadly out of the lexicon of popular culture, before having properly got in.

Anyhow, there you have it: my grand foray into politics for 2004. Regularly scheduled foolishness shall return forthwith.