E$$O sets attack dogs on protest site [printer-friendly] • The Register

Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/06/25/e_o_sets_attack_dogs/

E$$O sets attack dogs on protest site

Not working for the Yankee Dollar

By Drew Cullen (drew@theregister.co.uk)

Posted in Music and Media, 25th June 2002 15:05 GMT

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Mighty E$$O the world's biggest company, is seeking to shut down the web site of an environmental protest group - because its logo has been doctored.

It is taking Greenpeace, a member of the StopEsso coalition, to court in France. The logo which replaces the double S in Esso with dollar signs causes "reputational damage" to Esso, which seeks €80,000 a day in compensation.

According to StopEsso, the oil giant claims "the
doctored letters resemble the moniker of the Nazi secret police, the 'SS'" (actually, that's the Gestapo).

(http://www.adl.org/hate_symbols/neo_nazi_ss_bolts.html) Spot the amazing similarity? No, we didn't either. Such a claim from Esso is, we feel, at best an unwarranted slur on the US dollar, the world's most popular currency. At worst, it is a very unpleasant smear tactic.

In a statement (http://www.stopesso.com/press/00000030.php), StopEsso said the papers "filed by Esso show that it is seeking to have the French version of the StopEsso website (http://www.greenpeace.fr/stopesso/index.html) taken down. While Esso refuses to discuss the content of the site, it says the use of the campaign logo on the site is enough to justify its removal". ®

E$$O sets attack dogs on protest site

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