back to article Prince stomps on unofficial websites

Prince Rogers Nelson has threatened to throw a sue ball at a number of unofficial websites that carry images, lyrics and album covers of the preened, pint-sized 1980s star. The artist formerly known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince formerly known as a wonky symbol has been stomping around making all kinds of legal noises …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. MattW

    That makes sense

    Spend decades trying to get out of record company contracts and then crap all over your only other revenue stream - the fans who you want to buy your stuff 'direct'.

    Mad as a bag of snakes.

  2. Sam
    Coat

    Derr..technical point.

    .."Prince Fans Unite "

    How can they still be fans of that pretentious ugly bullying ego maniacal talentless waste of blood and organs?

    Not that I'm biased.

    The levver jacket, cheersJohn, I'll 'urt someone on me way aht....

  3. Karel Jansens

    WTF??

    There are websites devoted to Prince?????

  4. Mike Smith
    Flame

    It's unfortunate for them...

    .. that they're fans of such an ungrateful little spunk bubble.

    He doesn't deserve the free publicity they're giving him. It would be poetic justice if he sank without trace after shitting on his fans like that.

  5. Steven Foster
    Flame

    Princess

    What an arse hole.

    Let's hope he loses all his fans.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    superfunkycalifragisexy

    New Power Generation, or should it be More Power Generation. For fear of regurgitating lots of Prince song titles, I think he has a point.

  7. Marco

    Admiration where admiration is due

    "But fans have refused to take it lying down with the three websites joining forces under the moniker Prince Fans Unite (PFU) to fight any legal action from the American star."

    How can one in his mind justify his admiration for a man, when that very man is so undeserving of it and even potentially go through a legal battle to keep it up?

  8. Nick Ryan Silver badge
    Alien

    Maybe, just maybe...

    Maybe, just maybe... Prince/Squiggle/Former (or whatever) is actually working *for* the freedom of media.

    Why? Because by running around acting like a musical Napoleon and ridiculously suing people left, right and centre in a manner that would almost make the R.I.Ass. of A proud this kind of idiocy will be canned and real fair use laws will be passed and adhered to.

    On the other hand, he could just be a pint-sized-prick.

  9. Edward Pearson
    Thumb Down

    Sweet sweet irony.

    Prince Fans Unite, to fight the evil that is Prince!

  10. Shaun Vizer
    Black Helicopters

    Anyone smell...

    Marketing ploy?

  11. Jeff Tank

    Bad move

    Viacom, owner of paramount, owner of Star Trek, once tried to shutdown every website with images, titles, character names, etc. Even if it had the name "Star Trek" on it.

    It horribly backfired on Viacom with bad PR. Websites popped up flaming and bashing Viacom, they got overloaded with hate mail and even some death threats.

    Viacom eventually pulled back and let the fans express thier love of Star Trek. Killing your fan base is a bad idea. Anyone with half a brain would know that.

  12. Duncan Robertson
    Stop

    Prince needs to spend more time in the studio

    I mean he obviously has far too much time on his hands. Some one needs to step on the squeaky wee sh1te!

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Dear Prince Fans

    Your idol does not respect or even like you. He is simply another businessman trying to maximise profits by spoiling and demeaning your fun and enthusiasm.

    My suggestions to you all are as follows:-

    1. Remove *ALL* images and sounds of Prince from wherever you can. The internet, bedroom walls, even laser tattoo removal. Don't forget tribute act recordings too... no matter how cute the kid is.

    2. Re-purpose your web-sites such that they no longer encourage people to idolise the man but rather avoid his over-commercialised products completely.

    3. Stop buying his products. Absolutely none of them. Zero. Forever. Do not go to live concerts which include his act.

    4. Educate the masses. Warn them what this man is really like before they become tempted by the officially sanctioned sites.

    5. Find yourself another idol and expect him/her to live up to your ideals. Point out what happened to the last one who didn't (Prince who?).

    Hope this helps.

  14. Hedley Phillips

    Think we should remove ALL traces of Prince

    As he doesn't sell many records these days, maybe he is trying to remove all traces of himself from the web.

    Wouldn't be a bad thing.

    Surprises me that he has the time or the inclination to do this to his fans. Bound to backfire. Maybe the fan sites should just remove the entire sites and see how he likes it.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    pintsized purple popster poops on partisans piece

    the leather trenchcoat please...

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Pirate

    TPB

    "In recent months, the Minnesota-born pop star and his legal team have ordered YouTube, eBay and The Pirate Bay to remove hundreds of supposedly Prince-infringing web items."

    speaking of which i wonder how that Pirate Bay case-and-decist is going? :-)

  17. dormant

    That didn't take long

    The PFU website is already one of those annoying search/links sites that offer no benefit to mankind whatsoever.

    I guess they got a cease and desist from The Man.

  18. yeah, right.

    Fair use.

    Ah yes. Yet another airhead with absolutely no clue as to what "fair use" means in copyright terms. That or, like the RIAA and others, his organization knows what it is and hope like hell that their fans^H^H^H^H victims don't.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    What a bunch of idiots

    If your hero/idol doesn't care for your idolatry and wants you to stop, WTF are these idots STILL buying/promoting his wares?

    Just bin his crap - and to spite him further, rename yourslves to "The fans formerly known as 'Prince fans', now known as Micheal Jackson fans"...

    It is obvious that he doesn't want any fans.

    He doesn't want any people buying his merchandise.

    He doesn't want people spending their time promoting him (for free).

    He just wants to live in peace and harmony with his Lawyers and the RIAA - he's welcome to them!

    WAKE UP IDIOT FANS!

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Music biz business model: Attack your supporters, demand more money

    Why does anyone continue to buy anything from this ridiculous industry?

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    So, I guess this means...

    ...that it's OK to be masturbating with a magazine, as long as there aren't copyrighted photos of Prince in it.

  22. Anthony Chambers
    Thumb Up

    Way to go

    What a way to thank your fans for their devotion and support, despite no original material for years. What a prick

  23. Alex Wright
    Jobs Horns

    Best thing to do would be...

    ... to never buy any Prince albums or go to his concerts.

    Why, of course, you'd want to, even before this, is beyond me.

  24. Ferry Boat

    Choking Hazard

    Annoying little waste of space and bandwidth. Anyone who likes the annoying little git deserves a cow falling on them from 200ft. I wish he'd get a cease and desist notice. Prince rogers Nelson. I bet he does. Poor Nelson.

    PFU = Prince Fancying Undead

  25. Paul C. Hartley
    Go

    The Answer is Quite Simple

    The reply to the lawyers letter should be very straight forward.

    I would reply "waive my fees for for promotional activities on behalf of you client, web site design, hosting expences as well as fees for time incurred at a given rate for administrating said web site for the benefit of your client, his estate and business interests"

    What a dumb ass. The RIAA make the dumb f**k move of the century by suing its customers and this dickhead goes one better and starts attacking his own fan base, suing those who promote his work off their own backs and out of their own pocket.

    I say that any rock star that apparently spends all his time trawling the internet, google searching himself rather than enjoying the time honoured tradition of Booze, Bitches and Barbituates normal practiced by rock heros is no hero at all but rather a sad has been.

    Simple solution. Guys, take down your web site, stop promoting his stuff. Someone who sues you for likeing his stuff and telling people about it does not deserve the admiration of so many.

    Not so much Prince, formaly known as Symbol, more Plaintif soon to be known as Bankrupt or Moron soon to be known as Example.

    A Gerald Rattner for the 21st Century in the making.

  26. Andy Worth

    Yay!

    Take the websites down and let the pintsized twat disappear into obscurity. Oh and who is with me in starting a legal action against him for false advertising on any occasion where he refers to himself as a "star" or "sexy"? He hasn't been either for a long time (or in the latter case, ever).

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Egomaniac?

    D'ya know I went to see this guy recently at the O2. He was good, not amazing, but a damn good show all the same. He knows what he's doing, even if a lot of that is copying James Brown...

    But hells teeth, chase down the bastards making money out of you, but NOT the FANS who set up their sites to PROMOTE your work!

    What a pillock :-O

  28. Rick Brasche
    Flame

    it just proves

    that Prince fans are freaks, of the masochistic variety. Disturbed little wankers who love being abused.

    Like most pop music/television/movie star worshippers.

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    now I'm confused...

    After being unable to find a suitable "how's this going to effect me" angle nor a "Paris Hilton angle" I feel morally obligated to ask the really tough question: Does anybody really care about the wanker formally known as prince or the people who are dumb enough to actually admit they idolize him?

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    The artist formerly known as a plonker (oh wait - he still is)

    What a numpty. Plain and simple. I hope he wins and everyone has to remove all images and lyrics about the pint sized prat. This way, he would spare us all his babbling and if he dares to air another record, lets sue HIM for abuse.

    Dickhead.

  31. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    @David Wiernicki

    ".that it's OK to be masturbating with a magazine, as long as there aren't copyrighted photos of Prince in it."

    Ruffles through the coat rack - "Which one is your coat sir?"

  32. Joe

    Sado-masochist TAFKATAFKAP fans

    Prince Fans Unite... to fight Prince? Perhaps he could offer these fansite webmasters services other than just musical*, seeing as they're willing to go to court to prove how much they love him?

    --------------------------------------------

    PRINCE'S MENU (FOR HARDCORE FANS ONLY!)

    Humming my songs in the shower - $50 per song

    Making a website about me - $2m law suit

    Looking at me in the street - $5m per glance

    Taking photos of me - $10m law suit

    Trying to communicate with me - $0, but I get to beat you up**

    Buying one of my records - punishable by death

    --------------------------------------------

    * Yeah, I know - debatable

    ** "More, Prince, harder! Really hurt me, you know I love it!"

  33. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    There is a precedent for this...

    ... simply refer Prince to Pressdram vs Arkell. (http://gominokouhai.livejournal.com/8968.html)

  34. One-armed Freddy

    Monkey

    On a slightly related note, I read once a story from somebody who used to babysit at a big house in LA - right next door to Prince's big, purple mansion.

    One day she was in the garden with the kids when somebody in a monkey suit started running around the garden next door, bellowing and screaming. The babysitter was concerned about this but was reassured by the kids she was looking after who told her, "that's just Mr. Prince, he always does that."

    I don't know if that's true, but I really, really hope it is.

This topic is closed for new posts.