AOL is suing me?!?!?!?!?

This is very weird. AOL is going after me!. My website is hosted for free by the good folks at ibiblio and EcolNet , so you all can access some tutorials on how to use VideoConference, MSN and learn a thing or two about Linux, Wine, Mozilla and other interesting stuff. I make no money with it, as I have no banners. The website is there (here) for the good of the people. Then, AOL goes after me because I use some words that they claim they own.

And it gets even better. AOL does not own those words, as seen here, the US Patent and Trademark Office website.

First, I thought that AOL was suing me. Later, a friend has told me that AOL is not technically suing me, AOL is just harassing me. That's good. I guess, IANAL (I Am Not A Layer) and I can't tell. My friend also recommends me to check out this website. A very interesting website, indeed.

Update!

Now I have the PDF of the "snail mail" letter that AOL attorneys sent to ibiblio.See if here.

See the email that I've been sending around, which includes the email that I got from ibiblio's boss, Paul Jones. Feel free to pass it around, for shame of a corporation that thinks it can own plain and descriptive words. Shame on AOL!

You can send me an email to show support, give me advice or further content to upload here ...

Hi,

This is not a joke.

AOL are complaining about me using plain descriptive English words. First I 
was in outrage. Then, I read again.

This is insane, abusing and inmoral. Oh, wait. We are talking about AOL and
Lawyers in the same sentence, so it makes perfect sense.

Anyway, I do not want to drop perfect descriptive English words to please 
insane, inmoral and abusing delusions of ownership by a corporation.

Next time, what will it be? Someone copyrighting the word "the"?

"Dear Sir,

Ron & Mor, attys for The THE, inc, informs you that you are using their 
trademarked word "the"(c) (tm)  in your pages. Please remove it from your 
pages or changed it by "(definite article in English goes here)" or pay a 
licensing fee of

BK$ 32.12
(thiry-two and 12  Bork Dollars)

per a usage of 100 "the""(c) (tm) word.

Best regards,
Ron & Mor, Attys for The THE, inc"


----------  Forwarded Message  ----------

Subject: Need your help: AOL whines about trademark on your pages
Date: Thursday 20 March 2003 08:31 am
From: Paul Jones 
To: **********@maduixa.net

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2003 11:50:09 -0500 (EST)
From: Paul Jones 
To: ************* 
Cc: labratz@metalab.unc.edu
Subject: AOL whines about trademark on your pages

We just got a letter from Arent Fox, attys for AOL, telling us that your
page at http://ibiblio.org/sinner/video/messenger_en.html misuses the
words "Instant Messenger" their trademark. They are asking that you
instead use the generic term "real-time communication service" which is to
my mind confusing and opaque. I see from your pages that you are actually
referring to Microsoft Messenger so you would be in compliance and
accurate if you simply dropped the "Instant" from the pages.
Could you do that? If not, could you drop me a note telling me that you
plan to protest the claim of AOL to "Instant Messenger" in your use of the
phrase?
Also if you send me a snail-mail address, I will send you a copy of the
Arent Fox letter.

==========================================================================
                             Paul Jones
                    "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!"
http://www.ibiblio.org/pjones/ at the Site Formerly Known As MetaLab.unc.edu
  pjones@ibiblio.org   voice: (919) 962-7600     fax: (919) 962-8071
===========================================================================

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