Got a little message this morning from Guns & Ammo’s Online Shooting Editor, via Facebook! Seems they aren’t real pleased at us calling them out for their puff-piece on Taurus’ new turd of a gun, the “Taurus Curve”.
I must say, I’ve been threatened with legal action plenty of times before (I think this makes number ten), this one is the first threat delivered via Facebook!
To Whom it May Concern,
Regarding your website’s illegal use of our photography and slanderous statements about our publication (Guns & Ammo), you have until Nov. 21, 2014 at 8 a.m. CT to remove all content from your website that was stolen and/or improperly quoting our publication.
http://www.gunssavelife.com/?p=14719&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=taurus-turd-guns-ammo-loves-taurus-new-taurus-curve-a-curved-380-pocket-pistol
If the material is not removed by that time, we will seek legal action immediately.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Regards,
——————————-
Dusty Gibson
Online Shooting Editor
InterMedia Outdoors
2 News Plaza
Peoria, IL 61614
Office: (309)-679-5098
Mobile: (630)-618-0253
Dusty, you can call me John.
He said to call with any questions, so I did. I called him to get some specifics of how I slandered them in calling their story on the new Taurus gun what it was: a puff piece.
Dusty’s reply: “I’m going to have to defer to my publisher on that.”
Fair enough, Dusty.
Frankly, that G&A story was a disservice to their readers. I stand by what I wrote. Taurus’ new gun is dangerous and liable to get users killed or sued.
Little did I know Guns & Ammo would threaten to sue us for reporting the truth.
I told Dusty the piece wouldn’t be coming down now or tomorrow or anytime after that.
Guess I won’t be writing for Guns & Ammo anytime soon. Oh darn.
If you did use their photography and artwork without permission they probably have a case against you. With regard to disagreeing with their conclusions, probably not too much.
This lawsuit BS is a bluff, it would get thrown out immediatly if they actually tried to initiate it. I hope they are not THAT stupid, then again it is Guns and Ammo. Section 107 of the Copyright Act gives you ‘Fair Use’ for using material for the purposes of *criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Then again, it would be a nice payday if they foolishly tried it.
Right. Opinions are one thing… art is another. Funny he said to call and then deferred though.
Guns & Ammo:
Read more carefully. I see nothing libelous (go read the definition of libel vs. slander, would you?) in the original report. Not sure exactly what the fair use provisions are, but going after a well-known gun rights group over using these pictures that are all over the ‘net at every gun blog under the sun is not going to win you a lot of new subscribers.
That’s my $.02.
Ya reckon this is their new subscriber recruitment program: attacking Gun Rights groups?
DP: Somehow I think Dusty was freelancing in that threat. Hope he doesn’t get spanked too badly by his boss or the legal beagles at G&A.
In any event, I haven’t bought a copy of G&A for twenty years. After this, I don’t see that changing.
Sam
Quit readin G&A after Skelton and Venola left. Aint worth the paper its printed on. I also seem to recall their parent company being tied to Nbc somehow but not real sure. Handgunner only mag i read any anymore. Hunnington, Ayoob, Taffin , and best of all John Connor.
Cant be beat.
Yeah it’s always a slippery slope but if you are using someone else’s photo that you do not have the rights to they could have a case against you. Intellectual property law is a funny arena. I assume they have some good lawyers, I guess will see how far they push it.
It’s FAIR USE and there’s no liability.
For you armchair lawyers, the courts have substantially blurred any legal DISTINCTIONS between libel and slander nowadays. Now it’s plainly called DEFAMATION.
And WHAT John has done is NOT defamation either.
Tell ’em to eff off> But for sam whittemore’s aggrandizement, ask him how big his balls are first.
John,
Thank you for not caving to this guy….
L. Martin
Normal IL
You go John! Waiting on “pins-n-needles” for the “update”, haha. All I have ever seen is honest revue of especially those firearms/pistols that can be dangerous to handle, have you heard from Taurus firearms yet?
Funny how a magazine that extols the virtues of the 2nd amendment passed right over the 1st amendment. You know, that little section on freedom of speech. I think the people at G&A need to look up the definition of slander.
As for the images, my gut feeling, if they they own the images they have the right to tell you not to use them.
The threats are cheap bullying. Rather obviously not the product of competent legal advice. Editors who make bullying threats incompetently like this should not be allowed access to email.
Wow little Dusty got his panties in a bunch, looks like G&A is not on our team. What a Joke! Why don’t you bitches at G&A focus on interior decorating articles instead.
John,
Evidently G&A has never heard of the Streisand Effect, or Popehat.com
I suggest you contact their website if this goes much further.
I haven’t bought G&A’s rag for decades. Doesn’t look like I’ll start, either.
This is relevant to my interests.
Bwaahaha
Take a picture of your monitor with the G&A image displayed on it and you looking at it. While wearing a Guns & Ammo Sucks t-shirt.
so yall are risking legal action and stealing guns and ammos photographers photos, all in the name of trash talking a gun you have never personally fired? seems legit.