Maybe I just don’t get it.
But when I see this kind of stuff, I wonder how out-of-touch some are with how the Internet works.
When fans and lovers of your brand take the time to create art, share ideas and create a swarm of love around your brand, you don’t take them to court.
Here’s what Ikea is doing to the cool furniture hacking website called, Ikea Hackers:
Here Come the Suits
Ikea sent Jules Yap — owner, operator and curator of Ikeahackers.net — a cease and desist letter. It requested that the URL be voluntarily transferred to Ikea — or else.
All of this boils down to money.
You see, Ikeahackers.net has advertisers and has grown so much over the past 8-years, that it takes a lot of time and money to managment. But since Yap has advertising on the website that has Ikea’s trademark, they are pulling the ‘trademark’ card.
Jules Yap says in a letter what she plans to do:
“I agreed to that demand. Because the name IKEAhackers is very dear to me and I am soooo reluctant to give it up. I love this site’s community and what we have accomplished in the last 8 years. Secondly, I don’t have deep enough pockets to fight a mammoth company in court….
…IKEAhackers.net was set up in 2006 and truly not with the intent to exploit their mark. I was a just crazy fan. In retrospect, a naive one too. It is not an excuse but that was just how it was when I registered IKEAhackers. Over the last 8 years the site has grown so much that I could not juggle the demands of a full time job and managing IKEAhackers. It also costs quite a bit to run a site this large. Since IKEA® does not pay me a cent, I turned to advertising to support myself and this site.
Now by June 23rd, I would need to take down the ads, not earn any income and still advance their brand on this site. Wonderful!”
I’m not sure what Ikea is thinking, here. I doubt they need to pull her SEO juice. This probably has something to do with an ‘overzealous brand cop.’
Fans Are Awesome
Plain and simple, fans are awesome.
How does Ikea think something like this would help their brand? Moreover, the entire website focuses on hacking one thing and one thing only — Ikea products! I am dumbfounded as to why Ikea would hijack a website that solely promotes and popularizes the products that they sale.
Quite frankly, this women should not have been granted a legal threat, but a job.
Love your fans, and they will keep loving you.
As for me, I’ve got a bad enough taste in my mouth to avoid shopping at Ikea from now on.
You?
Update!
Since writing this post, yesterday, it looks like Ikea may be rethinking their stance — this message from Ikeahackers.net’s, Jules Yap:
“So, yesterday evening I received an email from Anders of Inter Ikea Systems BV asking me to get in touch. I did and he told me he was having lunch! (So good to talk to a human who eats!) Later he called back to express that Ikea would like to dialogue with me to find a new way forward. What does that mean? I don’t know yet. But I am hopeful, though my guard is still up. From our conversation, I do not have to make any changes to Ikeahackers (including the ads) till we settle on an agreement.”
I am anxious to see what ‘a new way forward’ means.
[Stromtrooper image via kennymatic via Compfight cc]
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