NOT THE SHARPEST KNIVES IN THE DRAWER: The Gang That Couldn’t Sue Straight
The FBI took exception to Wikipedia including an image of its seal in an article about the bureau and sent the Wikimedia Foundation “a lawyer letter” demanding it be taken down (“Failure to comply may result in further legal action blah, blah, blah.”).
Wikimedia’s lawyers responded by explaining that the bureau’s take down letter cited a law that is meant to discourage people from brandishing fake badges or using the seal in commerce, but is silent on posting an image of the seal on educational Websites (“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 F.B.I. had provided.”).
An F.B.I. spokesman insists that the law – or the bureau’s misunderstanding of it - notwithstanding, Wikimedia needs the permission of the FBI director to post an image of the seal.
The Department of Justice already demonstrated that it does not wish to protect voting rights (fifth item), and now the FBI wants to violate Wikimedia’s First Amendment rights.
[Hat Tip: The New York Times]
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