The end of the net as we know it?

No one could have dreamt up an act more symbolic than this one by Etoys.com, summing up the efforts of an entire horde of newbie net goldrushers. This hysterical powerplay perfectly demonstrates the intentions of the new net elite; to turn the world wide web into their own private home-shopping network. For the holidays, Etoys.com attempts to swat a fly in their christmas pudding. But like other secret powers the net holds within it, it holds the secret of how the fly can swat back.

S0 COME PLAY WITH US!!

IT’S TIME FOR THE FAKE_FLOODS TO BEGIN!!!!

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"Do you support the global
virtual sit-in against www.eToys
on December 15-25, 1999?"

a solidarity page
http://www.duke.edu/~arg2/solidarity_list.html

where you can add your name
and that of your organization.
Email your support to
arg2@duke.edu

<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

In 1995 a group of artists purchased
the internet domain name etoy.com. Two
years later, 1997, an online toy store
bought the domain name eToys.com.

This year eToys.com has chosen to
sue etoy.com for the use of the domain
name. In an initial hearing, a judge
in Los Angeles has sided with eToys.com
and forced etoy.com to shut down its
website, discontinue use of the name
etoy.com, and prohibited the artists
from selling their work in the United States. eToys claims that it has only the
interests of their customers in mind,
who might mistype the store's internet address and end up at the wrong site.
Minors might be exposed to controversial artwork. No-one is fooled by that. It
is clear that what they are really after
is sales, and they will use everything
in their legal power to get etoy to
pack up and leave.

Do you want the internet to become one
giant shopping mall where free speech
and artistic expression are tolerated
only as long as they don't threaten
corporate profits? If not, then now is
the time to make your voice heard.

Do not shop at eToys this Christmas.
Write to your friends and to the
media, alerting them of eToys' attempt to suppress internet art

www.eviltoy.com

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General info available at:

www.rtmark.com/etoy

www.toywar.com

and ETOY still available at:

http://146.228.204.72:8080/