Meow House Theatre

I am really fucking annoyed right now.  A lovely woman I know from the various Colbert sites–an independent artist and filmmaker–has had her Colbert-themed merchandise flagged and removed from Café Press.  By whom, and why, is as of now a mystery.  From what I can tell so far, she had several original designs on Café Press with drawings and quotations of Stephen Colbert, which she was selling to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.  100% of the revenue from these few items was going to charity.   Someone informed Café Press of “something,” exactly what is unclear as of yet, and CP removed all the items and has barred her from selling them through Café Press at all.

This woman (her name is Enza and online nick is “Warsucks”) is the one who designed, created, and paid for the spectacular flag hanging in the waiting room of The Colbert Report studio.  If you have been to a taping you must have seen it.  One night recently, Stephen mentioned someone in the audience “waving beach towels” at him–this “someone” was Enza, actually, at the taping, holding up a smaller version of the flag that hangs in the waiting room.  Everyone on staff at the studio, including Stephen, knows what it is, obviously; it’s about 4×6 feet and impossible to miss when the room is empty.

So far what I can see is that the Café Press items she designed mostly or completely contain designs that are not even identifiable enough as “Stephen Colbert” to be recognized as him unless someone told you they are of him.  There are a couple of drawings that could be anyone.  There is maybe one that is clearly copied from a recognizable photograph, and MAYBE Viacom (or more likely Hyperion, since a booksigning for his Hyperion-published book is where that photograph comes from) could make a case for copyright infringement on that.  But Stephen is a public figure, and there is nothing to stop anyone from DRAWING him and selling those drawings.  Every newspaper in the country does this every single day on their editorial cartoon page.  People win Pulitzers for this, for christ’s sake.  They’re not getting “flagged” and you know why?  Because the First Amendment and right to Freedom of Speech protects their ability to profit from public figures under certain circumstances.  And Enza is not profiting anyway!  She doesn’t make a goddamn cent off this stuff.

What the fuck is going on that someone has to “report” charity fundraising endeavors on the tiny scale that this one is?  Did it make you feel important, you small fucking coward?  Was it Viacom–can they actually believe they own EVERY possible permutation of any image of Stephen Colbert?  Even drawings that could be anyone or no one?   Was it someone else who is so insecure, so petty, such a goddamn yellow-bellied coward that he has to make himself feel big and important by screwing over someone else–by screwing over Parkinson’s sufferers?!  What’s that going to get you, you bottom-feeder prick?  A moment of superiority in your wasted pathetic life?

It’s absolutely disgusting.  I have said she should contact a lawyer, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the ACLU, and I hope she does.

Enza’s site:  United Colors of Truthiness