The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the closest thing to an official police department the United States has, is turning its attention not to crimes like interstate kidnapping and gun-running, but to copyright infringement.  They’re not going after music pirates or people who copied that floppy, they’re going after Wikipedia.  Specifically, the FBI page on Wikipedia.  The FBI says that Wikipedia is illegally using their official seal and have threatened a lawsuit.  Wikipedia, not an organization to be easily scared off, has told the FBI that they need to actually read the law cited by the FBI in their official scary legal letter.

“The FBI has not authorized use of the FBI seal on Wikipedia,” the FBI says in a letter issued to Wikipedia and released to the New York Times (warning: PDF). “The inclusion of a high quality graphic of the FBI seal on Wikipedia is particularly problematic, because it facilitates both deliberate and unwitting violations of these restrictions by Wikipedia users.” Wikipedia’s general counsel, Mike Godwin, responded fliply:  “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 of Section 701 that you forwarded to us.”

The law cited by the FBI, 18 U.S.C. 701, states the following:  Whoever manufactures, sells, or possesses any badge, identification card, or other insignia, of the design prescribed by the head of any department or agency of the United States for use by any officer or employee thereof, or any colorable imitation thereof, or photographs, prints, or in any other manner makes or executes any engraving, photograph, print, or impression in the likeness of any such badge, identification card, or other insignia, or any colorable imitation thereof, except as authorized under regulations made pursuant to law, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

Will Agent Scully be knocking on Wikipedia’s door anytime soon?  I kind of doubt it; that said, this issue will definitely end in lawyer on lawyer combat.

Tags: FBI, Wikipedia, FBI wants Wikipedia to remove its seal, official seal, logos, FBI seal, FBI logo, copyright lawsuit, unusual copyright suits, trademarks, First Amendment lawsuit, 18 U.S.C. 701, Mike Godwin, Federal Bureau of Investigation

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