Universal v. universal: copyrights and viral marketing.
Author | Balko, Radley |
Position | Universal Studios contracts Special Ops Media - Brief article |
LAST YEAR Universal Studios decided to hype its movie Serenity by tapping the cult following of Firefly, the TV show that spawned the film. It hired Special Ops Media, a viral marketing company that specializes in creating buzz among bloggers, fan sites, and bulletin board communities. The firm sent out thousands of "assets"--still shots and graphics from the movie, bumper stickers, review copies, trailers, and other promotional items--and encouraged fans and bloggers to use the assets to promote the picture, including using photos and graphics from the movies to create stickers, gift cards, and T-shirts.
Someone forgot to tell the studio lawyers. Months later, in October 2006, Universal started sending cease-and-desist letters to those same bloggers and fan sites, threatening legal action for copyright violations. One fan was sent a bill...
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