Wired reports that a retail store in France had an idea that it may soon regret: the store filed for a trademark for hacker group Anonymous' logo.
The retail store named Early Flicker, and the representative of that brand, Apollinaire Auffret, wants to own Anonymous' slogan, as well: "Anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us." in connection with commercial products. The store sells t-shirts on eBay France.
Representatives of the international hacker group produced a disturbing video stating:
Hello Citizens of the world, we are Anonymous. Dear brothers and sisters, now is the time to open your eyes and expose the truth. Anonymous logo and slogan has been defiled and registered through the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). An online t-shirt company called "Early Flicker" or "E-flicker" has registered the anonymous slogan and logo and passed it on as their own. Now under French law, the company owns the rights to the anonymous logo and slogan. The company's website is pickapop.fr. In a response the National Institute of Industrial Property said that "the conditions seem fulfilled since the mark is registered and it does not seem to have made use." Their arrogance and ignorance of what they have done will not go unpunished. Anonymous will take down any business they have going on the internet and the 99 percent will not stop until the registration has been revoked and a public apology has been made. The name of Anonymous will not be the whore of the world. We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.
The video depicts a representative of Anonymous in a Guy Fawkes mask speaking in a computer-generated voice.
The hacker group's threat is not likely to be an idle one. In the past, Anonymous has targeted the US Department of Justice, the CIA, MasterCard and the Chinese government.
