[View the story "'Anonymous' for sale" on Storify ]'Anonymous' for sale Netizens react as a French company commodifies Anonymous imagery. Storified by The Stream · Wed, Aug 01 2012 12:56:17
Anonymous « n'est pas à vendre »anonymousfrancophone
Shortly after, Anonymous released an English-language announcement of Operation 'AnonTrademark':
Anonymous: Operation AnonTrademark (#OpAnonTrademark) [ENGLISH]anonymousopnews
Though Early Flicker filed the trademark in mid-February of 2012, Anonymous followers,
tech journalists , and
web-security experts were tipped off on Monday by a tweet from @asher_wolf.
This French company is trying to trademark Anonymous' image and logo. *Grabs popcorn* http://bases-marques.inpi.fr/Typo3_INPI_Marques/getPdf?idObjet=3897981_FMARK-1,FMARK-2Asher Wolf
The tweet linked to a copy of the filing, which has been
confirmed by Forbes and the French Institut National De La Propriété Industrielle.
Institut National De La Propriété IndustrielleAJstream
Anonymous members speculate that the image was lifted from a flag
posted on Wikimedia Commons in 2009. The un-copyrighted image was
available to the public through Creative Commons use.
Wikimedia CommonsAJstream
"I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions..." http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anonymous_Flag.svg Logo pulled from flag 25Jan2009Anonymous
The filing gives Early Flicker authority to reprint the logo and slogan of the group on everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs.
Ebay.frAJstream
Pickapop.frAJstream
Anonymous is calling for followers worldwide to respond using the hashtag #OpAnonTrademark. The group has threatened to take down Early Flicker's online business, and have
reportedly released personal information of the company's manager, Apollinaire Affret.
AnonNews.orgAJstream
#Anonymous Logo everyone should change their profile pic to -> #AnIdeaIsNotForSale #OpAnonTrademark #eFlicker #ReTweet http://pic.twitter.com/10w8FSojAnonymous
Followers responded, some pointing out the irony of branding an idea so widely associated with protests of trademark and censorship laws:
You cannot trademark an idea. #OpEarlyFlicker #OpAnonTrademark #AnonymousAnonymous
RT @ANUNIX: Anonymous follow @OpAnonTrademark | #OpAnonTrademark #Anonymous #ExpectUs | http://pic.twitter.com/OK39hkc2#OpAnonTrademark
RT @dailydot: We are legion™ http://awe.sm/a2B9f #OpAnonTrademark (cc @YourAnonNews, @AnonymousIRC)leftchickie
@Kanor jested at the filing in French: "I am telling myself you could register 'Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité'?
Je suis en train de me dire on pourrait déposer "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité" ? #OpAnonTrademarkKanor
Many have expressed surprise that a company would take on such a prolific hacktivist organisation,
speculating that the whole filing is simply an online troll for free publicity:
Forbes.comAJstream
Still, Anonymous members have quickly rallied in response:
#Anonymous Message - #OpAnonTrademark http://goo.gl/87oZr This will never happen! Seems a little silly. Brand in the #PublicDomainAnonymous Media
HOWTO made by #Anonymous: Q: "how do I get a shitstorm?" A: "try to reserve the anonymous logo for itself"#OpAnonTrademark4ntibiotic
#OpAnonTrademark #eflicker U can expect us @ ur base very soon. #beprepared @AnonPR_Network @Anon_Operations @Anon_Central @AnonymousIRCnaSignal
Below, @Geekmag tweets in French, "Early Flicker has registered the Anonymous logo, watch out for the backlash"!
Early Flicker à déposé le logo Anonymous, attention au retour de baton! http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2012/08/01/97001-20120801FILWWW00281-anonymouslogo-la-reponse-d-early-flicker.php #OpAnonTrademarkGeekMag
@AnonymousPress used the group's own slogan to summon support:
"WE are Anonymous, WE are Legion, WE do not Forgive, WE do not Forget, Expect us! " #AnIdeaIsNotForSale #OpAnonTrademark #eFlicker #ReTweetAnonymous
