2001 Faux News Channel Both Faux News Channel logos you see above are mine. Disillusioned at the dirty ways of Bush in the 2000 election, I dipped my comedic toe into internet political satire in late 2000. Sketching out a handful of images about the "election," (like this one), I posted my "artwork" on one of those ISP-based, freebie pages. You know, the kind that used to come from your dial-up provider, and had a waaaay-too-long-to-remember URL (like http://www.myinternetprovider.com/email-services/~myemailaddress/ myown.personal-pages/page1.html). After 9/11 my political eye focused on the FOX News Channel. Witnessing this new network (new in my town) skew their information, rely on urban legends, and smear Bill Clinton for an attack that took place well into Bush's reign, I decided to create a site specifically aimed at mocking them. Already somewhat familiar with domain names (I'd bought one earlier that year), I checked on the name fauxnews.com. But no! It was taken! Not only that -- the owner had had the foresight to buy it in in 1999! Holy shit, I thought, I didn't even know about FOX News in 1999. So for awhile I toyed with the idea of registering a similar domain name, like fauxnews.net, or something, but like so much else about my style I put the idea on hold for awhile. But I didn't stop watching. And FOX didn't stop lying. Occasionally I'd update my too-long-to-remember-pages with images like the Faux News logo above (created right after 9/11), and caricatures of FOX News personalities, like Neil Cavuto and Bill O'Reilly (both created in 2001 - note O'Reilly's earring. I've always thought he wears too much makeup). Well ma'am, in early 2002 I caved in and settled on a much longer, but just as memorable domain name. A site in which to park all my FOX frustration - FauxNewsChannel.com. As you'll see below, I believe I have a good case for being the first to draft up the cheesy, unoriginal, yet poignantly accurate "Faux News" logo. Dont' get me wrong - it's not exactly my finest hour. But after being threatened with legal action by a couple of Texas T-Shirt vendors who drew up their own version of the logo two years after I first hatched mine (and then seeing their shirt made it onto national TV), and after being asked by a number of diehard fans why I don't sue others for "robbing" my idea, I feel I need to go on record here. Although I created the logo in 2001, its presence online isn't verifiable until early 2002 (http://www.archive.org). But, as I demand proof from folks whose claims aren't objectively verifiable (like TrueDorkTimes' claim of April 2002, while http://www.archive.org shows it was December 2002), I'm forced to accept the date found on http://www.archive.org, which still dates my logo to April 2002 - eight months earlier than the next oldest. |
Mid-2003 FauxNews.com This owner of Buck Fush and other creative sites is by far the "owner" of the name Faux News. Hell, he bought the domain name in 1999. I didn't even draw mine up until 2001. But he never put anything on his page until mid-2003. No text. No images. No nothing - trust me, for a long time I checked it regularly to figure out what was going on (for years it was a non-site. I think he was busy with Buck Fush). I've communicated with the owner of Faux News a couple times, and he's a cool dude. But something tells me he's a very busy man. Verdict: Faux News owns the name. Hands down. But the image is still safely mine. |
Late 2002 True Dork Times True Dork Times claims to have published a Faux News-type logo in April 2002. Well, it doesn't actively claim this, but its archived "April 2002" page sports the Faux News Logo seen here. Accepted at face value, the True Dork Times' logo only postdates Faux News Channel's logo by a mere seven months (April 2002 vs. my September 2001). But a deeper look into the The Wayback Machine reveals True Dork Times actually created this thing some time in late 2002. Specifically, on the the Wayback Machine the earliest instance of the Faux News Channel logo appeared in December of 2002. (incidentally, the page's own "synopsis" of Survivor: Season 4 on the "April 1, 2002" archive dates itself 19 May 2002). Verdict: Faux News Channel by a mile. |
2003, but it's the real logo The Anti-Fox News Channel Website/ Unfair & Unbalanced News This page appeared in April 2003, fifteen months after Faux News Channel. Not exactly the wittiest of satire, this site called out most of FOX News' main cast of characters for their lack of integrity. As if that were unthreatening enough, it doesn't even offer a parody FOX logo; it uses the actual FOX News logo itself. Verdict: No challenge whatsoever to Faux News Channel's ownership of the logo. |
Mid-2003 Agitproperties This website popped up some time in 2003, apparently just to sell T-Shirts. The owner is a hell of a capitalist, and even got his shirt on TV. However, he's not much in the creativity department. He didn't bother to change the "Fair and Balanced" slogan, and as late as the fall of 2003 he actually believed he'd invented the thing! He sent a couple of us Faux News logo holders with a copied-and-pasted legalese letter, threatening us to stop our "infringing" of his rights. Hilarious! When I discovered "his" logo was 24 months newer than mine I replied to his silliness with, "OK, my logo is 2 yrs older than yours, so let's go forward with your 'legal' action!" Of course, he never wrote back. Verdict: Laughable at best. I understand he's now selling the image on velvet paintings outside a Beaumont truck stop. |
2004 Faux-Newz Although the timeline heavily favors my logo, I have to admit this page has some funny material. I suggest it (and the next one) for anyone who enjoys mockery of America's least honest news organization and enjoys good satire. But, like I said, this site (and its logo) popped up long after mine did. And while it's certainly not like Faux-Newz has been staking any claims to the logo, keep in mind - I created this page for those supposedly "neutral" folks who want to know either 1, why I'm not angry others are using my logo, or 2, why I'm using someone else's logo. The entries on this page are the most popular "others" mentioned in letters to me on the subject. Verdict: good material, but not even close to challenging the 2001 creation date. |
2004, but irrelevant anyway Faux-News I think this is just a case of mistaken identity. I mean, look at their logo. That's not even close to the idea in question. And their web site is unusually close to Faux-Newz.com (above). This web site seems like it's a gathering point for anyone to submit a satirical story. Good idea, but not relevant to the discussion here. Verdict: irrelevant. |
| The Faux News Channel logo's ownership remains safe and sound in my grubby hands. But so what? Like most liberals, I'm not all about profit, especially about something so profoundly derivative and unimaginative. At least now I feel better. |