Fox: The Why Files Infringes X-Files Trademark

Okay, I’m so dense sometimes that I’ve visited The Why Files several times without ever realizing its title was a clever play on “The X Files.” Fox didn’t miss the word play, however, and is suing the University of Wisconsin-Madison which maintains the site.

Hmm, the X Files is a show about supernatural phenomenon, while The Why Files is a regular feature of cool science stuff. Oh yeah, I can see how someone reading the Why Files long story about Darwin and the Galapagos Islands might think the story was really a lost X Files episode or something.

Fox has been extraordinarily litigious with regards to web sites, and I hope the University of Wisconsin sticks to its guns and lets Fox’s lawyers fall flat on their faces in court.

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