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).

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, StopEsso said the papers "filed by Esso show that it is seeking to have the French version of the StopEsso website 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". ®

Related stories

Eco site fuels anti-Esso protest
Waging peace on the Intenet
Culture jammers spoof WTO web site
Linux fans 'hack' Windows XP advert