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Chicago State Tries to Censor Faculty Blog ... Again

Last November, in a blatant attempt to censor faculty speech, Chicago State University鈥檚 (CSU鈥檚) legal counsel sent a cease-and-desist letter to Professor Phillip Beverly, claiming that Beverly鈥檚  blog infringed on the school鈥檚 trademarks and created the false impression that the website reflected CSU鈥檚 views as an institution. We at FIREshared the blog contributors鈥 views that the site, with its frank criticism of the school and its banner reading 鈥淐rony State University鈥 and 鈥淲here we hire our friends,鈥 was clearly not CSU鈥檚 institutional website. However, CSU renewed its objections last week in a  demanding that pictures of the campus and references to CSU be removed from the site.

Like CSU鈥檚 , the  one does not pass the laugh test. Among CSU鈥檚 complaints are the allegation that the URL, csufacultyvoice.blogspot.com, was chosen to confuse readers into thinking that it was an official CSU site. Nevermind the fact that university websites have their own top-level domain suffix鈥.edu鈥攄istinct from the masses of blogspot.com web pages. Hilariously, the letter takes issue with the blog鈥檚 use of an image depicting some 鈥渨idely recognized CSU hedges,鈥 which CSU claims is part of the university鈥檚 鈥渢rade dress.鈥 Trade dress鈥攁 form of intellectual property that includes the way a product looks or is packaged鈥攊s protected in order to ensure that consumers know what product or brand they are buying. To suggest that people may not take pictures of products (or places) in order to identify the subjects of commentary would be to disallow innumerable and invaluable sources of information, including newspaper articles.

Amazingly, the letter asserts that 鈥渋t is not the University鈥檚 intention to censor or inhibit the professors鈥 speech.鈥 But what follows is a request that would make it impossible for faculty members to provide commentary about the university on the website: 鈥淧lease direct your clients to not use CSU鈥檚[] mark, name and any CSU images on the Blog ... .鈥 The letter also demands a lengthy disclaimer to be featured prominently on the website, stating that the blog does not represent the views of CSU.

Happily, the Faculty Voice has not backed down, and is providing ample and apt   . Elsewhere, additional media  of this ham-handed attempt to suppress criticism of the university is contributing to CSU鈥檚 growing reputation for .

According to the , the faculty bloggers are planning on clarifying on the website that the views expressed are their own and not that of the university, though they do not plan on using CSU鈥檚 proposed language. At the same time, the bloggers are continuing to post updates on the situation as well as commentary on other university-related topics, making clear that the faculty know their rights.

Check back to The Torch for updates.

Image: Home page of the CSU Faculty Voice blog 

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