harry hope

From a New York Times editorial, 8/13/03:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/13/opinion/13WED4.html

Windfall Publicity for Al Franken's Book

So, the satirist Al Franken writes a book making fun of the Fox News
Network, mocking Bill O'Reilly and the gang, and its response is to
sue him?

The publisher of Mr. Franken's new book -- "Lies, and the Lying Liars
Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right" -- must be
having heart flutters.

You can't buy this kind of publicity.

This strange lawsuit has all the feel of an O'Reilly shouting match
shoved onto an unlikely new stage: the Supreme Court of New York
State.

For Fox, the issue is -- among other things -- Mr. Franken's use of
the words "fair and balanced" in its subtitle.

The network's lawyers are arguing that those words belong to Fox as
part of its trademark.

(Journalism schools need to take note here.)

Mr. Franken and Mr. O'Reilly have had one or two public set-tos
already, and Fox's complaint sounds like a collection of things Mr.
O'Reilly wishes he'd remembered to say at their last encounter.

It calls Mr. Franken "deranged," a "parasite," "sophomoric" and
lacking "any serious depth or insight."

In a word, Fox apparently does not think that Mr. Franken is amusing,
prompting the comedian to threaten to trademark the word "funny" for a
possible countersuit.

For years now, liberals have wrung their hands over the fact that the
right wing had a monopoly on acerbic, unfair and entertaining
political commentators.

Mr. Franken is clearly attempting to fill the gap, and for some reason
the Fox people appear to be doing everything they can to help pave his
way.

Their legal case, however, seems far too frivolous for the real
courts.

What about Judge Judy?

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Could FUX be getting a share of the royalties?

Harry