Thin-Skinned Wal-Mart

As if anyone really needed more evidence that Wal-Mart does, indeed, suck, here's more: The world's largest retail chain has no sense of humor.

For a class at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Daniel Papasian had designed a Web site parodying a the philanthropical Wal-Mart Foundation. Until, that is, Wal-Mart attorneys presented Papasian with a cease-and-desist order alleging violation of copyright law.

Papasian wrote on his site that he's not buying Wal-Mart's presumed concerns about use of its logo:

"The act of parody was no doubt political; it was not the use of copyrighted materials that threatened Wal-Mart, but rather the more radical implications that challenged the position of Wal-Mart within our society. The parody site caused people to question the power of Wal-Mart, global trade, and global capital in general..."

OK, maybe that last line indicates that the 20-year-old Papasian might be getting just a bit of a swelled head, but no matter. We think he still has a point ...

"Because the United States still recognizes the right of people to free speech - it hasn't been struck down (yet) as anticompetitive by the WTO - Wal-Mart knew they couldn't go after me for my criticism. So Wal-Mart's high-powered attorneys went after me for copyright violation ..."

Haiku that, LilRed ...