Laugh it Off has been served with a notice of motion´ from Diesel for our use of their "brand" in both our magazine and our ´Dieselfde´ (translation: the same) t-shirt. Although we no longer make the t-shirt, we are prepared to fight this case on the following grounds:
· Our satirical ´Inadequacy is fuelled by Desire´ poster - which shows a man and woman being set alight by the Diesel clown - was a pointed satire at Diesel for their self-ironic campaigns, such as
www.sponsoredbydiesel.com and ´Action! For successful living´. We feel that if Diesel has the audacity to ´sponsor´ such things as human emotion, and reduce issues like activism to mere trivia - then it is well within our rights to use such a trivial entity as their "registration no. 80/8161 DIESEL in cla** 25, Registration no. 97/12144 D Device in cla** 25, Registration no. 91/3715 in DIESEL ONLY THE BRAVE logo in cla** 25" (i.e. their brand) to make an important statement about companies like Diesel. We feel that Diesel, and the advertising industry in general, manipulate and abuse our emotions in order to sell product.
· Our Dieselfde t-shirt is a comment on how fashion houses such as Diesel seek to convince us that wearing their expensive jeans will make us somehow ´different´, somehow ´better´ than our neighbours.
· Our right to freedom of speech, and our right to satire.
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WE, THE STREET VILLIANS, A GROUP OF HIP HOP FREEDOM THINKERS, CALL UPON THE ENTIRE HIP HOP NATION AROUND THE WORLD TO BOYCOTT ALL DIESEL RELATED PRODUCTS AS THEY DO NOT APPEAR TO SUPPORT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.
f*** DIESEL!
STREET VILLIANS :-Y
