The United Nations vs Me
The other day I was digging through my Junk folder when I found an e-mail from the United Nations. I know what you’re thinking: “Wow! That is one politically astute mail filter.” But pretty much all email to my public address without the word “duck” in the subject, as per my contact page, gets flagged as spam, and the UN chose not to do that. Apparently arbitrary yet effective protocols for ensuring open communication aren’t something the UN wants anything to do with. Or maybe they have something against ducks. I don’t know. Whatever the reason, they went with the subject, “Notice of cease and desist.”
Naturally, it was about NationStates. It’s always about NationStates. I have Nike shooting teenagers and Coke marketing Fukk, that’s no problem. But one player says something mean to another in my web game and they’re going to sue me into oblivion. Anyway, what upset the United Nations was that I put them into NationStates. It’s the place where players come together to debate and pass international law; in the five years the game has been running, they’ve implemented privacy safeguards, promoted religious tolerance, passed a universal bill of rights, and outlawed child labor, amongst 240 other resolutions.
Clearly this wasn’t anything the real UN wanted to be associated with:
Dear Mr. Barry,
It has come to our attention that you are operating an online game called “NationStates”, www.nationstates.net, and that this game uses the UN name and emblem, without authorization…
We therefore demand that you immediately cease and desist from using the United Nations name and emblem in the above-referenced online game, and that in the future you refrain from using or making any reference to them in connection with your activities.
[ Full Letter ]
My first reaction was pride. Receiving a threatening letter from the United Nations; I finally felt like I’d done something with my life. Also, there is something inherently amusing about UN threats. I mean, I think the UN does a lot of great work, but let’s face it, they tend to specialize in demands backed by the threat of further, even more stridently voiced demands. Frankly, “You are hereby ordered to cease and desist” was a lot scarier before I got to “says the UN.”
But they did have a point. In 2002, I whacked the United Nations into my game, complete with copyrighted emblem, not so much in parody as to say, “Hey, look, this is just like the real UN.” I can’t remember ever thinking about the legal consequences; I probably assumed that even if the UN noticed, they’d have plenty of blood-thirsty dictators and international war crimes to prosecute before me. But what with Saddam behind bars and all that world peace you’ve been hearing so much about, I guess they worked their way down to me.
I wondered whether it was worth fighting. It would probably be eight years before they got inspections organized, and by then I could keep moving my UN references around where they wouldn’t find them. And it could be great fun. I could represent myself and wear cheap suits and tell the court that it was on trial. But for that to work, I would need an opponent who might actually be embarrassed by the expense and public profile involved in a petty IP lawsuit, and I just wasn’t confident the UN falls into that category. That the single biggest label on the front page of the UN web site is “Copyright, United Nations, 2008” struck me as an ill omen. Also, I do support the UN. I mean, sure, it’s about as functional as a cat with 192 heads, and a lot of those heads are corrupt. But at least they’re trying. At least the heads have to look at each other. I feel like if I’m going into legal battle with somebody, it probably shouldn’t be an organization whose foremost goal is world peace.
Plus I got a lawyer’s opinion, and he said I was blatantly in the wrong. So I decided to cave.
So now I have to rename my UN. I was tempted to go with something a little insulting, like “Discordant Nations,” or “Ridiculously Petty Bureaucracy of Nations Who Should Have Better Things To Do.” But no, that would be sinking to their level. NationStates now has a “World Assembly.”
Comments
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Tim (#3461)
Location: San Diego
Quote: "Get back to work."
Posted: 6096 days ago
Stygian Emperor (#2947)
Location: the Stygian Empire
Quote: "Flesh is a design flaw."
Posted: 6096 days ago
Whatever, as long as they don't decide they would like to be the "World Assembly," and trademark that, you'll be fine. And if they do, you could change it to the "Planetary Congregation."
Or you could go interstellar with NationStates and have the "Universal Tribunal" or something. It would take them some serious time to work their way up to that.
Arancaytar (#2358)
Location: Frankfurt
Quote: "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself. -Sagan"
Posted: 6096 days ago
I don't think I've been had this thoroughly ever before.
And I really liked that UN emblem. Now it's gone. At the risk of a pun:
WAAAAAAAH! =(
Kings World (#3476)
Location: Arrakis
Posted: 6096 days ago
Danni (#357)
Location: England
Quote: "Eagerly awaiting the European Tour."
Posted: 6096 days ago
I am wondering why it took the UN so long to find out. How many years ago did you create NationStates? That said, maybe they needed that long for someone to get a computer installed there.
Chris (#1228)
Location: London, UK
Posted: 6096 days ago
blab (#1632)
Location: The Sandwich Isles
Quote: "Adventure is just poor planning"
Posted: 6096 days ago
Romanar (#2831)
Posted: 6096 days ago
Kostemetsia (#3477)
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Quote: "Somebody should pass a resolution in the real United Nations Condemning NationStates and making Max an International Pariah. Now that would be bad-ass."
Posted: 6096 days ago
You know, perhaps NS nations should be included in JG:2. :P
Ad'ihan (#3478)
Location: Singapore
Posted: 6096 days ago
Tomme (#3479)
Location: UK
Posted: 6096 days ago
Ad'ihan (#3478)
Location: Singapore
Posted: 6096 days ago
Adam (#24)
Location: Morristown, Indiana
Quote: "Why do I blog? Simple, because Max Barry blogs."
Posted: 6096 days ago
" What this means is if you were thinking this year's April Fool's prank wasn't very believable and didn't fool you for a second... you've been no-pranked."
and of course the "You can't be fooled by anything...except the truth."
Hilarious
-adam
PS I remember once when Max blogged about me...it was a long time ago.
Morgan (#1413)
Location: TX
Posted: 6096 days ago
rAcHeL j. (#1524)
Location: Santa Rosa, CA
Quote: "Never believe anything until it's been officially denied."
Posted: 6096 days ago
Gregor (#1182)
Location: Toronto
Quote: "The righteous man is beset on all sides by the tyrannies of evil men."
Posted: 6096 days ago
You are still funny. Maybe you'll make it all the way up to George Bernard Shaw status. I think you might.
Best wishes
Gregor
Jeffrey (#2286)
Location: Right here
Quote: "Mathematics is a powerful language. Just look at how mathematicians destroyed the housing market."
Posted: 6096 days ago
Caufman (#1791)
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Quote: "The Game."
Posted: 6096 days ago
So this is what it's like to watch your hero die.
Arancaytar (#2358)
Location: Frankfurt
Quote: "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself. -Sagan"
Posted: 6096 days ago
At the time, I didn't think much of the new name, given that it wasn't here to stay and all, and seemed to be deliberately picked to be ridiculous. But now that it's settling in permanently, I must say that all those delegates turning into WADs is somewhat old.
Unless the UN has a copyright or trademark on that name as well...
Max (#2421)
Location: ::1
Quote: "I'm bloody bored."
Posted: 6096 days ago
James (#2261)
Location: New York
Quote: "Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it. - Niccolo Machiavelli"
Posted: 6096 days ago
Max Barry for Secretary General!
Linnea1928 (#2654)
Location: Rosemount, MN
Posted: 6096 days ago
PS, if you think about it, even though he's dead, saddam's behind metaphoric bars... I'm sure that's what Max meant. :)
Kalle (#1278)
Quote: "Sex is herital. If your parents never had it, chanses are you'll never have it either."
Posted: 6096 days ago
Katie (#3484)
Location: Clune, PA
Posted: 6096 days ago
A. Holst (#3485)
Location: somwhere in denmark i think..
Quote: ""The Democracy replaces the dominance of the few corrupt with the election of the many incompetent"- George Bernard Shaw"
Posted: 6096 days ago
if this is a april fool: Good job, verry well made.
if it aint a april fool: United nations? wow, you gets letters from the united nations!! i am impressed!! NOT! for gods sake, i was whriting to the danish prime minster when i was 4 (and i got an answer), you are what 35? and still you havent gotten any longer than getting hate mail from UN, my cousin got hate mails from most of grimsby (a british city)when he was 12, so is it just me or are australians slow at getting political influence?
but if you really want to piss off UN, move your server to a non-UN contry, then it is out of their power... and you can use as many copyrigthed UN stuffs as you like...
A. Holst (#3485)
Location: somwhere in denmark i think..
Quote: ""The Democracy replaces the dominance of the few corrupt with the election of the many incompetent"- George Bernard Shaw"
Posted: 6096 days ago
The Pope state (yes the pope has his own contry of i think it was 40 or 400 square meters inside rome)
West sahara (it is being administrated by morocco, wich is a member state, so it aint really a real non-UN state)
and last but not least:
The south pole...
and as the Pope shurely wont have you inside his little contry, and west sahara aint a possibility, there is only the south pole left... so if you can make your server ice free, you will be able to move your server, otherwise: stick to WA..
SRD (#2889)
Location: Ogden, Utah
Posted: 6096 days ago
Octane (#3488)
Posted: 6096 days ago
Gee, can't help but wonder at the timing (and the long delay). Maybe Mr. Barry fabricated this whole affair, and is really triple-punking his devoted fans.
Chris McBride (#1977)
Location: Belfast, N.Ireland
Quote: "Plagiarism saves thinking time"
Posted: 6096 days ago
philbert smyth (#3490)
Location: Ottumwa ,IA,U.S.A
Quote: "ladys and gentlemen take my advice pull down your pants and slide on the ice"
Posted: 6096 days ago
Janet (#2030)
Location: California
Quote: "There are three kinds of people in this world: Those that can count and those that can't. Which one are you?"
Posted: 6096 days ago
So awesome.
You pranked us by not pranking us o.O
Hobbie (#1359)
Location: Cornwall, England
Quote: "There was a little man in his hair!"
Posted: 6096 days ago
"Umm... let's see, will we be spending time and energy dealing with Zimbabwe? Kenya, perhaps? Isn't it about time that Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Palestine, Israel, and Afghanistan were finally dealt with? China, Tibet, Myanmar, and Sudan? No, wait, I have it! Let's go pick on Max Barry instead. Afterall, we might actually get somewhere with him, let's face it we don't have a hope in hell with any of the others..."
Patricia (#3408)
Location: Suburbs
Quote: "Why?"
Posted: 6096 days ago
Simon (#3192)
Location: Melbourne
Quote: "I'd rather be arrogant than wrong"
Posted: 6096 days ago
Duct Tape Avenger (#3495)
Location: NC
Quote: "A sticky pillar of justice"
Posted: 6095 days ago
Oodge (#2790)
Location: Tas
Quote: "'Ooh look Marge, Maggie lost her baby legs.'"
Posted: 6095 days ago
Rose (#3496)
Location: USA
Posted: 6095 days ago
I also prefer the League of Nations to World Assembly. Not like my WA delegate even bothers to ask... *goes to remove endorcement* Anyways I personally feel we should go with Discordant Nations, or Ridiculously Petty Bureacracy of Nations Who Should Have Better Things To Do. ^_^ The last being my personal favorite. Discolour the emblem, flip it upside down, and there we go.
Eben07 (#3497)
Posted: 6095 days ago
Trump them with trivial international organizations for $200 type jeopardy answer.
Charlotte Ryberg (#3498)
Location: Funen
Quote: "We're old chuffers in the very alien world!"
Posted: 6095 days ago
The third option would be simply to ask for permission in the first place.
Yours,
Charlotte Ryberg, Old-timer Traditionalist and Trusty NS-UN Delegate for Funen.
Kostemetsia (#3477)
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Quote: "Somebody should pass a resolution in the real United Nations Condemning NationStates and making Max an International Pariah. Now that would be bad-ass."
Posted: 6095 days ago
Ms Ryberg, you are the NS-WA Delegate for Funen now. Show some adherence to current events!
*frowns scoldingly*
In all seriousness, I like the new World Assembly. The problem is, what about all those anti-UN regions that have used "antiUN" in their website or forum name? How are they going to deal with the change?
Lisa (#2587)
Location: Enfield, Connecticut USA
Quote: "outside of dog a book is man's best friend...inside of a dog it's too dark to read--Groucho Marx"
Posted: 6095 days ago
Aaron (#3500)
Location: Oregon, USA
Quote: ""The ability to quote is a servicable substitute for wit." -- W. Somerset Maugham"
Posted: 6095 days ago
Charlotte Ryberg (#3498)
Location: Funen
Quote: "We're old chuffers in the very alien world!"
Posted: 6095 days ago
Loop (#3501)
Quote: "Made almost entirely out of Candy"
Posted: 6095 days ago
picking on Max and whatnot.
Daniel (#3502)
Posted: 6095 days ago
Max
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Quote: "I'm my number one fan!"
Posted: 6094 days ago
Sel Appa (#3504)
Location: New Jersey
Posted: 6094 days ago
World Assembly sounds a bit cooler anyway for something that gets stuff done. ;)
Diana (#3505)
Location: North Carolina, USA
Quote: "Why get high when there are other ways to achieve a smug sense of superiority? Sarcasm, my anti-drug."
Posted: 6094 days ago
Connor C. (#3507)
Location: San Antonio, TX & Peoria, IL
Quote: "I think, therefore I am. This but merely scratches the surface of what it is to be Human"
Posted: 6094 days ago
"So now I have to rename my UN. I was tempted to go with something a little insulting, like Discordant Nations, or Ridiculously Petty Bureacracy of Nations Who Should Have Better Things To Do."
that was the best part. Although it sucks it was still probably the funniest thing I had read in awhile.
Govindia (#3508)
Location: Long Beach, CA, USA
Quote: "Find me a good quote and I'll use it here blast you!"
Posted: 6094 days ago
While his office could have been doing the following:
- Making sure Iran is following UN requests for nuclear inspections
- Making sure North Korea is fulfilling their end of the agreement
- Fighting for Darfur
- Making sure he pays his parking ticket to the City of New York if he was parking illegally.
I find it funny how he references the Lanham Act, yet the law doesn't apply as its US law and not Australian law.
I doubt they would really want to challenge you Max. I mean, the e-mail was in Jan., the game was created in what, 2002 or 2003? If they really wanted to see if you were coming into "compliance" with their request, surely they would have contacted you if they wished to?
I say ignore the request and point out the fact that this is A GAME and not trying to profit off of the UN. I mean, how many Model UN clubs are there in schools, and other groups that have mock UNs? Should they cease and desist as well?
blue sam3 (#3509)
Posted: 6094 days ago
Anguilla
Aruba
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Cook Islands
French Polynesia
Greenland
Kosovo
Montserrat
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Puerto Rico
Turks and Caicos Islands
Just copyright UN there
Matthew (#16)
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Quote: "Unicorn on mountain top. Wind blowing through mane."
Posted: 6094 days ago
Sophie (#891)
Location: Devon
Posted: 6094 days ago
(I hope...)
Michael Robb (#3514)
Quote: ""It seemed a good idea at the time""
Posted: 6094 days ago
Maybe they are planning to bring out UN merchandise like UN logo trainers, T-shirts, baseball caps and mouse-mats.
Resolution Keeper (#3515)
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Quote: "before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes, so when you criticize them, you'll be a mile away with their shoes"
Posted: 6093 days ago
the twoslit experiment (#3517)
Quote: "Nothing is stranger than quantum theory."
Posted: 6091 days ago
neil (#3518)
Location: Canada
Quote: "Extremely Moderate, Moderately Extreme"
Posted: 6091 days ago
The United Nations is one of, if not the most dysfunctional on the planet. They bark loudly but they have no teeth, no claws and no bite.
What's the worst they would do.. pass a resolution against you... that you know won't be enforced anyways? And seriously, all you have to do to get it vetoed is suck up to the Russian or Chineese government for a week and voila... instant veto.
Alex (#3519)
Posted: 6091 days ago
*gasp. Then in one distressed e-mail they force all of us to conform to them. I guess the UN just doesn't have anything better to do. You should just tell them to piss off Max. Im sure they will tell you that they are sorry.
Leto (#3520)
Location: Canada
Quote: "Dare to be Stupid - Crazy Al."
Posted: 6090 days ago
Oh, and Blue Sam3, most of these states aren't sovereign states, but are under the responsability of another country, which is member of the UN. So, the UN rules apply there also. Plus, most countries, and I'm pretty sure Australia is part of these, have international treaties saying basically that they respect copyrights from other countries, which would include the UN.
That being said... still weird that Max Barry was forced to change his things...
Eluvatar (#2716)
Location: Boston
Quote: "Man i waithtir nin tiruva?"
Posted: 6090 days ago
I was absolutely certain this was an April fools joke. Good job Max, you fooled me good. :)
On another note, it would be nice if at least the World Assembly flag could be changed. It's a bit... bland.
Well, thanks for the laughs Max.
Yenzo (#829)
Location: Secret underwater pyramid base in the Pacific
Quote: "In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe (Carl Sagan)"
Posted: 6089 days ago
Apart from that, I'd like to get a letter from the UN. Even a negative one. It sends a message like "We only want to make the world a better and peaceful place. And you're kinda in the way of that."
Amaryln (#3521)
Location: S 70° W
Quote: "Reality is something you rise above."
Posted: 6089 days ago
Pok (#3525)
Location: Qonos
Quote: "Scratch that bump"
Posted: 6089 days ago
Maybe could have gotten some extra publicity from this.
I am sure the UN threatening an online game would have been interesting enough to get 15 seconds of fame on the news.
Better yet, maybe reply that you had thousands more member nations with trillions of citizens and they were no match for NS.
Nevertheless, at least you aren't in the UN jail. Where is that, Mexico?
Randall Scribe (#3528)
Location: NY
Quote: "It's all fun and games until someone loses an 'i' or a 'u'."
Posted: 6085 days ago
Snowcat (#3533)
Location: Texas
Quote: "Adapt or Die!"
Posted: 6083 days ago
A. An email is not proper notification. Emails are notoriously easy to fake and there is no way of verifying receipt. They demonstrate that understanding by asking that they expect you to send them a fax or certified letter showing receipt of the email. Report the UN as a spammer.
B. The cited treaty 'Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property' does not provide protection to the UN as the UN is not, nor could it be, a signatory as the UN is not a country. To receive such protection, the UN would have to declare itself a US resident. As far as I know, it has a building here, but is not a US entity. Cite they have no legal standing to claim protection under the treaty.
C. The UN website itself only claims copyright protection of the UN logo and its own website to 2006. This is 2008. You could claim ownership of the UN logo by abandonment and then sue the UN for copyright infringement. Send them a cease and desist letter.
Snowcat
Resolution Keeper (#3515)
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Quote: "before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes, so when you criticize them, you'll be a mile away with their shoes"
Posted: 6083 days ago
Michael Ricksand (#2212)
Location: Terra
Quote: "You do not have a right to be stupid."
Posted: 6082 days ago
philbert smyth (#3490)
Location: Ottumwa ,IA,U.S.A
Quote: "ladys and gentlemen take my advice pull down your pants and slide on the ice"
Posted: 6079 days ago
Ghostsaber (#3548)
Location: Pacific Ocean
Quote: "Death to Nazis"
Posted: 6072 days ago
1. They are made and only function because they are on a "bully" system. (They only have power because they have the "law" and military of a hundred some countries that back them).
2. Even with all that power, they can't resolve any issues, so they put trivial problems onto the desks of people that should never even be processed!
3. They never do anything. We could be in Vietnan or but no, instead they pick on a legal American(?) citizen.
Charlotte Ryberg (#3498)
Location: Funen
Quote: "We're old chuffers in the very alien world!"
Posted: 6072 days ago
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