(no subject)

Aug 03, 2010 14:17


The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in July demanded that Wikipedia take down an image of the FBI seal on an article about the bureau and threatened to sue if the online encyclopedia did not comply.

But as an article in today's New York Times points out, there is no law which prevents Wikipedia from using the FBI seal. The law that the FBI cited only prevents people from producing fake FBI badges or using the seal to make a profit.

According to the newspaper, Wikipedia sent back a feisty response, accusing the FBI of misquoting the law. "While we appreciate your desire to revise the statute to reflect your expansive vision of it, the fact is that we must work with the actual language of the statute, not the aspirational version" that the FBI cited.

Wikipedia said it would fight the FBI in court, if necessary.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), meanwhile, called the FBI's actions "silly" and "troubling" and said Wikipedia has a First Amendment right to display the seal.

"Really, I have to believe the FBI has better things to do than this," EFF's legal counsel said.

copyright law, first amendment, wikipedia

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