When news broke on Thursday that nine major tech companies were apparently complying with — and even helping — the NSA collect and access massive amounts of data, Gawker's Max Read decided to try to turn the situation to his advantage. He opened a Zazzle store called PRISMMerchandise. Max started with the PRISM logo-bearing t-shirt you see above, adding an iPhone case, a coffee mug, and a hoodie by day's end.
Did the NSA have this PRISM t-shirt removed from Zazzle?
Read reports that by Friday he had sold two t-shirts and two coffee mugs. This morning, however, Zazzle has removed his PRISM storefront and merchandise, sending Read an email which explains:
Unfortunately, it appears that your product, PRISM NSA T-Shirt - #Rare PRISM Shirt SPIES, contains content that is in conflict with one or more of our acceptable content guidelines.Design contains an image or text that may infringe on intellectual property rights. We have been contacted by the intellectual property right holder and we will be removing your product from Zazzle’s Marketplace due to infringement claims.It is unclear if the infringement complaint came to Zazzle from the NSA or somewhere else, though clearly Max Read is not the intellectual property rights holder of the PRISM logo.
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