In what is easily the most ridiculous bit of news I’ve heard in a long time, the Cincinnati Bengals blog (StripeHype) for our friends Zach and Adam’s Fan-Sided Blog Network has been threatened with a lawsuit by the team and the NFL itself for copyright violation and trademark infringement. Evidently, it is the team’s and the league’s contention that the images used in the design of the site and in posts violates federal copyright law.

Obviously this is an issue that all bloggers can relate to, especially those of us who write about a specific organization or sports franchise. I would hate to be sued by the Chiefs or the NFL for anything, let alone copyright violation, but I can tell you that every single image in use on this site comes from the public domain, and as such, they fall underneath the fair-use umbrella and cannot be considered a copyright violation.

But that being said, it flat out pisses me off that any team in the NFL or that the league itself would stoop so low as to threaten a lawsuit against a fan blog that maintains no affiliation with the team, and plays a vital role in the support of the team by giving its fans a place to voice their thoughts. I know for a fact that I would be livid if the Chiefs or the NFL came after me (not that they would get a damn dime) and my blog, so I can certainly sympathize with my fellow bloggers at StripeHype over this absurd threat to their existence.

Feel free to drop in over to StripeHype or Arrowhead Addict and wish them well in their fight with the Bungholes and the No Fans League. This is the time for every fan who supports the work that blogs do in presenting a side opinion on our pro sports teams to stand up and protect the rights of fans (who pay the bills last I checked) to share their thoughts on their favorite team.

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