The post where I finally get sued

in important stuff, Just sad, Posts that will get me hate mail, Random Crap, rants

Are you following me on twitter?  If not, you missed the mini-rants that made Victor have to hide the knives last week.  Here’s a taste:

**For some reason, my fave site (sk*rt) is changing their name. On an entirely unrelated note, I HATE Skirt! Magazine.**

**For those of you who are confused on the two skirt references of my last twitter, let me elaborate…**

**…Skirt! Magazine is a giant, pushy corporation that sucks ass and might give you VD. (In my opinion.) **

**Sk-rt.com is an amazing website run by 3 amazing women and they rescue kittens in their spare time. And perform miracles on crippled dogs.**

**You should help sk-rt.com find a new name and you should burn down kiosks that offer skirt! magazine. Metaphorically speaking, of course. **

Many of you questioned what the deal was with these insane ravings. You can read about it here. Basically Skirt! Magazine is a free mag like the penny saver that talks like it’s all about girl power but is owned and controlled mainly by dudes who like to sue my friends.  My friends started Sk-rt.com which is an awesome website that’s like digg for girls and promotes chicks (including myself) and then many, many months later Skirt! Magazine buys skirt.com and decides to sue sk-rt.com for the name.  (Keep in mind that sk-rt is more popular than Skirt! Mag and Sk-rt is all “Hey, why don’t we throw some parties together!  Girl power!  We’re advertising you for free!  Have a cupcake!” and Skirt! Mag is all “Sure!  But first we’ll steal your design and sic our condescending lawyers on you since you’re a bunch of stupid girls with no money.  Have a cupcake (filled with poison), stupid girls!”  Then when Skirt! mag loses their dumbass lawsuit (because they are obviously TOTALLY in the wrong) Skirt! just threatens to keep on suing and making my friend’s lives hell because they are a huge company with money to burn and they know that my friends are just three friends who started a website for fun and don’t want to have to deal with this kind of crap.  So rather than spend their kid’s college funds in legal bills my friends decided to just change their name because they don’t want to deal with the negativity anymore.  I, on the other hand, wallow in negativity for fun and can’t stand the idea of these hypocritical assholes getting away with being all “Girl power!” while suing the very women who embody “girl power”.  If you have skirt! mag on your blogroll I’d encourage you to delete like I did.  I encourage you to write about it and to get the word out that bullying isn’t right and that you can’t hide behind a “we love women!” facade while secretly sending out horrible threatening letters to awesome chicks without that sort of nasty behavior getting noticed.  I’m not sure how long this post will stay up before I get some sort of threatening letter myself but at least I’ll know that I got the word out to a few people and really, at the rate this company is going, we’re all going to be sued by them eventually anyway.  In fact, if you are even wearing a skirt right now I think you’re pretty much fucked. 

Bullying is wrong, whether it’s in the schoolyard, the workplace or the boardroom, and like my mama always said, “If you stand up to a big bully you’ll see the real small person hiding behind the facade”.  And she’s right because if you peek under Skirt! Mags skirt all you’re going to see is a dick.   (Actually a bunch of dicks if you want to get all technical.) 

Anyway, sk-rt.com has shed it’s skirt and is now kirtsy.com which is a better name anyway and in honor of the new name I’m taking off my skirt too.  Yay for public indecency! 

kirtsy!     kirtsy!    kirtsy!

And just so that you don’t get them confused…

Skirt! Mag = Assholes who probably have tiny penises.

Kirtsy = Fabulous website that you should be using to promote your own writing and to discover awesome crap and was started by these three chicks who I know in real life and who kick ass and do not have penises:

sk-rtch-cks.jpg

PS.  If you write about this leave me a link in the comments and I will totally pimp it out here.

PPS.  All of this is completely my opinion and as far as I know Skirt! Mag didn’t actually give anyone poisoned cupcakes even though I bet they totally wanted to.

Updated: Holy crap, people.  Twitter is abuzz with this and new posts keep coming out.  Just a few:  Riveter Girl, Imelda Bettinger, TLC, Daria, Kelby Carr, Viva La Feminista, Gwen Bell, Chris Heuer, South End Blend, Pensieve, Dutch Blitz, Mommy’s Martini, Oh My Stinking Heck and Mother Bumper. 

Updated again: And they just keep rolling in…Girls Guide to Blogging, Cynical Nymph, A Cowboy’s Wife, I’m no better than u, Mommy Bytes, Defining someday, Trusted MD, Ed T, View Through My Cracked Window, I-Obsess, White Trash Mom and DollyMix. and I’m probably missing a ton more.

Power to the people, y’all.

Comment of the day:  Hey you know the SKIRT magazine distribution box on Main street by midtown? it um, fell over and was hit by the metro train this morning. I did a small kirtsy as it passed. ~ skirth8rt

158 thoughts on “The post where I finally get sued”

Read comments below or add one.

  5. I love you people. Seriously, the first four comments are always my favorite because I just sit here thinking “Shit. This is the post that will get no comments.” Then after the first 4 I can breathe again. No kidding.

    And sadly, no, I’ve never been to any of the cupcake events. I miss everything.

  9. And what do you want to bet those idiots sue the gals anyway? “Alls they did was to move the ‘s’ to the end and add a ‘y’, your Honor. A clear case of trademark infringement, your Honor. Suck your cock, your Honor?”

  10. Just started noticing the change this morning- thanks for filling me in- Amy totally could have told me-Big Changes! Because you know, we’ll be roomies, and all. But no. Had to hear it Jenny. (btw- thanks Jenny for the lead!)

    Will now go kirtsy myself so I can be a part of what tho cool chicks are doing. Because I’m nothing if not a follower.

    Headless Mom’s last blog post..The One Without A Title

  12. i made them gone from my blogroll before i even finished reading your post. i usually pick up a copy when we go out to dinner but i will refrain from doing so in the future.

    viva la revolution!

    piglet’s last blog post..mother’s day 2008

  15. Awesome post! I am getting so tired of all these companies/sites targetting women/moms who are run by men. Makes me sick. I hope in the social world we can show them that bullying in the board room isn’t going to last long if you want women involved!

  17. whoa, this is *nuts*!!

    i hadnt heard of kirtsy (or what it used to be) before, but it sounds amazing and i love cupcakes. i make lotsa cupcakes. they love me too, which is why they stick to my ass and hips. fat girls ftw.

    anyhow, i digress. my point was that those people are *whacked* and you rock. and kirtsy rocks too.

    ps: hi from twitter.

    jen’s last blog post..Two Astronomy Myths!

  19. Never heard of that site, but I’m addicted now… Thanks for my new daily crack source!

  22. Why be metaphorical? I’ve already confiscated a kiosk, in Laura’s honor. Did it long before the name turf war started, ’cause I knew the mag was just a bunch a jerks.

    Now, what do I do with this kiosk? I hear scrap metal prices have gone up; maybe I’ll recycle it. 🙂

  24. Jenny don’t you know you can’t mention cupcakes without getting a ranting, cupcake addicted Erica O’Grady coming at ya? Expect a knock on your door an second now.

  26. Thanks for speaking the truth! Power to the people! Power to Kirtsy! Power to Cupcakes! Power to Me!

    Sorry. Went power-mad. It happens once I give power to cupcakes.

    Who ever heard of Skirt magazine?! Not me. I think it’s fictional. Or crap. Probably crap.

  27. You guys rock.

    Feel free to republish, link it…whatever you like. This post is public domain.

    Oh, and I’d never heard of Skirt! either until they opened a Houston branch which promptly (swear to God) went out of business. Ah, karma.

  28. It’s cool to see that Sk*rt chose just to get out of the fight and move on. But kudos to The Blogess for poking the Skirt! in the eye once more just for good measure!

    But like my daddy used to say: “Son, never wrestle with a turd. Win, lose or draw you just get shit on ya”

    Jay Lee’s last blog post..Virgin Of Guadalupe

  31. Pingback: Hello. My name is … » Archive » Hate on Skirt! Magazine

  33. Poisonous cupcakes sounds like an evil-ly delicious baking project. I will send them to the publishers of Skirt! ASAP. Then, I will bake knockout-delicious non-piosonous cupcakes and eat them myself while enjoying Kirtsy. mmmmmmcupcakes!

    Erica’s last blog post..Cashing in on the $0.16 Timbit

  34. I have followed this closely and had many Tweets with the wonderful (ex) Sk*rt girls. Remarkable how blind and arrogant the Skirt people are. Here’s hoping your grasssroots effort explodes in their face. I predict your posts stands and plan to retweet it.

    Michael J Pratt’s last blog post..the style observer on Access Hollywood

  36. Jenny, I don’t know why you’re beating around the bush…tell us what you REALLY think!

    (gigglin’…………….)

    Robin’s last blog post..Oopsidaisy!

  37. You? ROCK.

    Seriously, I was going all kinds of mama bear over this, but felt utterly powerless. All I could do was take the photo of that woman who is apparently sucking lemons on the skirt! magazine homepage and do nasty things to it in photoshop until I felt better.

    I did blog in a very positive way about the name change at ecochick though… http://www.ecochick.ca/2008/05/kirtsycom.html

    Shannon’s last blog post..And another thing.

  38. Hmmm – thanks. I just took my skirt off to avoid getting sued (as per your advice) and got a ticket.

    I’m totally suing you too.

    Kelley’s last blog post..Apple Pie FM

  39. Jenny, because I worship at the altar of The Bloggess, I posted my own rant on the injustices of that stupid magazine over here: http://tinyurl.com/6h6mg5

    When asked why I’m skirtless, you’ll hear me mutter, “Cuz The Bloggess said so. Cuz The Bloggess said so. Cuz The Bloggess said so.”

    Robin’s last blog post..kirtsy.com

  41. You beat me to the little dicks thing, but I was right there with you.

    You seriously rock girl!! I’m glad you called it what it was–bullying.

    Personally, I am going to Kirtsy a little extra low to those pseudo-Skirt! people–with my back turned and my underwear pulled all the way down.

    MammaLoves’s last blog post..My Medicated Mother’s Day

  42. Pingback: Kirtsy - a (not so) New Social Bookmarking Site for Chicks | Kelby Carr

  44. Skirts are for suckers anyways. Skorts on the other hand ROCK! You can totally have too many Zima’s and not have to worry about Britney Spearsing your waiter.

  46. Love the site whether it’s called Sk*rt, or Kirtsy, or Bob…

    The magazine can now kiss my cellulite dimpled ass.

    Great post. Now I’ve got to go get the new badges up on my site! 🙂

  52. Hey you know the SKIRT magazine distribution box on Main street by midtown? it um, fell over and was hit by the metro train this morning. I did a small kirtsy as it passed. 🙂

  56. Get this… Talk about insecurity. A co-worker of mine just discovered this. It looks like Skirt! Magazine also owns these addresses:

    skirtsucks.com (as of may ’07, right after skirt.com)
    skirtmagsucks.com (as of apr 30 ’08)
    skirtmagazinesucks.com (as of apr 30 ’08)

    Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
    Morris Publishing Group, LLC domain.admin@morris.com
    P.O. Box 936
    Augusta, GA 30903
    US
    706-828-3861

    they forgot skirtblows.com

  59. Wow…I hate to get in front of the torches and pitchforks crowd.

    But has anyone actually talked/emailed skirtmag or skirt.com? I’d like to hear the other side.

    Until then I’ll enjoy both skirt mag and kirtsy.

  60. Pingback: Dutch Blitz » Kirtsy

  61. Jenny (who is not me), I think that’s a great question and I haven’t heard of skirt! Mag responding to the coverage but I did have the opportunity to read some of what was sent from them and their lawyers to the kirtsy girls and it was nasty enough to convince me to delete them from my blogroll.

  62. I had put the link to the new site in my side blog, and just updated it to link to your superb explanation of the reason behind the name change.

    I have never even seen Skirt magazine (not available in Canada?), but you can be sure I will never buy it if I do see it.

    Great post on this whole mess 🙂

    Angella’s last blog post..Kirtsy

  63. 1)Typepad stopped recognizing my login identity and I couldn’t post at all yesterday.
    2)I just joined Twitter, but I can’t figure out HOW IN HELL I’m supposed to follow people. Yes, I’m that dumb.
    3)Late again to the party, so I didn’t know about Skirt! or Sk*rt or whatever. Frankly, I’m thinking that those dickless wonders who want to sue our lovely friends should probably call their magazine SKIRT?…or just KILT, since guys like that won’t ever admit to wearing a skirt. Yeah…and their dolls are called “action figures”. Blah, blah, blah…
    4)Why is everyone funnier than me?

    apathy lounge’s last blog post..If I’m Not In The Car, What Day Is It?

  64. Pingback: Skirt bows with a Kirtsy… | Chris Heuer's Inystes

  65. ummmm…can i just say thanks for this awesome post? i’m a kirtsy editor and you’ve said a lot of the things a lot of us were thinking. so, thanks! and yes, those three behind kirtsy are pretty darn awesome. gooo kirtsy!

    suann’s last blog post..so long sk*rt, hello kirtsy!

  68. Aplounge…today I’m TOTALLY not funnier than you.

    However, this post reminds me of having parents who screamed at each other all the time and wanting to hide under the bed until it was over (even though I was TOTALLY on HER side!).

    Not that that EVER happened to me;)

    I skeered.

    😉

    Greta’s last blog post..Ask DTBMULF

  70. Is it just me, or does women taking off their skirts (in protest, of course) seem like an awesome idea? You know, I can think of a few hundred more things that need to be protested.
    BTW, for those of us who can’t wear skirts, can I assume that it’s okay if we remove someone ELSE’s skirt as our protest, as long as we have their permission?

  71. I am only wearing pants from now on. I bet I can kirtsy in pants. But I doubt I could curtsy, without ending up in an ambulance.

    Kirtsy is a great name. Off to check them out now…

    Jennifer H’s last blog post..(Not) slaying the dragon

  72. I almost had juice come through my nose when I read the part about wearing a skirt, which I am indeed doing right now. I’m totally going to boycott Skirt, and way to go Kirtsy! Y’all are awesome

    What a fabulous post! Thanks for getting the word out!

    Erika’s last blog post..Freckle Face Giveaway Winner!

  73. @theboggess

    Yeah but thats a lawsuit. people dont pay lawyers to be nice to others. I’m sure sk-rt’s lawyer wasn’t nice either.

    Have you talked to another human?

    (btw, I still like kirtsy so don’t flame me)

  74. jenny (not the bloggess) – We don’t flame here. It’s against the policy. And honestly I have some great friends who write for Skirt! Mag and I still adore them even though I will no longer be going to that website.

    Lawsuits are never nice, it’s true, but I did see the letter that the kirtsy chicks wrote in response to the nasty lawsuit letter (which they wrote themselves because they didn’t have a lawyer at that time) and it was the most adorable letter I’ve ever seen and in fact I think they even signed it “Hugs, the sk-rt chicks”. I realize that every story has two sides but just looking at the basic communications that have gone back and forth between the two parties the true character of each seems to shine through.

    There’s nothing wrong with liking or even supporting Skirt! Mag but I think it’s also important that people know the whole story so they can make an informed decision on whether to continue supporting them.

  75. back when i’d first heard about sk*rt, i was all excited for laura and the gals. so, when i happened to see this skirt magazine, i thought maybe they were tied together somehow so i picked it up. first, i looked to see if i recognized any names – no. then, i thought i’d just check out the content. no. as in there was no content. it was a cute looking magazine but there was nothing to it. i felt cheated out of the 5 minutes i wasted flipping thru the thing. so, i hated them a long time ago. little penises and all. i mean, what kind of person thinks that we fab women have time to waste on page after page of non-informative crap? little dicked ones, that’s who.
    for pete’s sake, even glamour has a little bit of info in it.
    the jerks at skirt will get what is coming to them. people might be fooled once with this crappy publication but can you really read the same nothing over and over again each month?
    even giving it away, skirt magazine isn’t worth it.

  76. Internjen – You don’t have to worry about reading it anymore. The Houston branch apparently went out of business after just a few months. Apparently they couldn’t even give it away.

  77. i was thinking that wherever and whenever i see that canned ham, formulaic bullshit of a publication, i’d pick up like, oh, say, 40 of them and use them for toilet paper. but, then, i thought, nah… a) too much effort for nonsensical people who i really shouldn’t be thinking about b) the paper it’s printed on would totally chafe my ass. (and my vagina)

  78. Available:

    skirtmagsucks.biz
    skirtmagsucks.info
    skirtmagsucks.net
    skirtmagsucks.org
    skirtmagazinesucks.biz
    skirtmagazinesucks.info
    skirtmagazinesucks.net
    skirtmagazinesucks.org
    skirt-mag-sucks.com
    skirt-magazine-sucks.com

    And I was shocked that they hadn’t covered this obvious base…

    skirtmagsucksgigantichairyarse.com is available!

    Shannon’s last blog post..The Reward

  79. @jenny the bloggess

    Thats all I’m saying also. I’m not going to dump a mag I enoy reading w/o hearing what they have to say.

    I guess I don’t like joining the lynch mob mentality.

    Good luck kirtsy chicks.

  80. Hi jenny.

    You most likely will not hear what they have to say because they only speak through a lawyer.

    I’ll give it to you in a nutshell though. They have a USPTO registered trademark for “SKIRT!” for a magazine and online use as it pertains to topics of female interest. It’s a federal trademark and as such would require litigation in federal court.

    Check out this link. They sued a pre-existing magazine called “Pink!” because it was printed on similar paper, of the same size, and targeted women in one or more of their markets:

    http://tinyurl.com/5fcp4j

    Pink had the nerve to be for women and use (gasp) an exclamation mark! much like SKIRT!

    Anyway, enough from me. If you have money and a federal mark you can pretty much bully anyone.

    Take care,
    James

  85. Wow, I totally didn’t know about the differences of the magazine and the website. I actually liked the magazine, but when I sent them an essay I had written and said it wasn’t their style or something, I felt bitter and thus, stopped reading. Glad to know that the website changed their name…much better. Anyhow, thanks for this great post!

  86. Teri, I’m really glad you pointed that link out because it kind of proves my point. After a few people commented about Skirt! Mag’s dumbassery in alienating all the sk-rt followers they replied by saying “To protect our brand, we asked them to stop breaking the law and change their name. …Nikki Hardin, who with $400 in her pocket and a dream, created something real, something that she didn’t have to steal or borrow.”

    That’s exactly the kind of blatantly untrue, mean-spirited bullshit that I think shows their true character.

    The fact is, Skirt! Mag sued and lost. The sk-rt (now Kirtsy) chicks won because they were most definitely not breaking the law. Implying that they were is just kind of mean and stupid, especially in light of the fact that the kirtsy chicks are well known in the blogging community for always putting others first.

  87. Pingback: Oh My Stinkin Heck » Blog Archive » WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ SKIRT!

  89. Well, you haved 88 comments already, so I’m not sure you’ll read this, but here’s my post — from the perspective of someone really new to blogging who wasn’t on Sk*irt and didn’t know why to be UNTIL NOW. NOW I’m mad. Now I’m a member of Kirtsy. And you can damn well be sure I’ll stay that way. Thanks!

    http://mommysmartini.blogspot.com/2008/05/why-you-should-know-and-love-kirtsy.html

    MommyTime’s last blog post..Why You Should Know (and Love) Kirtsy

  90. Pingback: 100 Blogs using CommentLuv

  96. Oh oh, I get it, I’m not spam!! So for the last time… I’m so glad that you’re here to say what I wouldn’t dare!!

    Oh, and I picked your story as an editor’s pick 😉

  98. This may be the best. blog. post. ever. e-v-e-r.
    Now I will slink off and humbly try to write something one iota as entertaining about the fabulous Kirtsy on my blog. Actually, I’m sleepy. I’ll Kirtsy in the morning.

    michellew’s last blog post..Blog Party 2008 Giveaway!!

  99. Pingback: Kiss This Sk*rt! | A Cowboy's Wife

  100. Jenny–You GO!!!

    I love that the Kirtsy Girls are taking the high road and strutting their awesome selves on off to bigger and better things, but I ALSO love that the Bloggess is holding everyone accountable for their actions. The Kirtsy Chicks, for example, must be held accountable for being totally adorable. (HOW CUTE is that PHOTO??)

    Long live Kirtsy!!!

    And Bloggess, you are FIERCE!

  101. Best. Post. Ever. You said it best sister Jenny. I Love Kirtsy. Love the kirsty chicks and love the cupcake references. Your post totally rocked and long live Kirtsy.

    white trash mom’s last blog post..I Want My Mommy

  102. *sob* I broke your blog. I was all cute awesome comment and then it went all ‘nah, this blog is too cool for the likes of you’ and done went broke.

    I can’t remember what I said, but I must be some serious kinda stalker to actually come back and admit it… do the Kirtsy chicks like stalkerish Aussie chicks? Cause if they do I am all over them.

    Kelley’s last blog post..Unlike the Bloggess, I will give you ninja.

  104. I guess I’ll have to go check out kirtsy now.

    I see your protest of taking off your skirt and raise you one by taking off my shirt too! It’s close enough in spelling that I’m now uncomfortable wearing it. Be warned America!

  107. Pingback: Shiny Shiny

  109. drat.

    I *just* finished writing a supa-feminist rant. and now I have to go and bump it down to support kirtsy.

    which you know I will do for you (and Laura and Laurie — and, um, the other very, very nice woman who also runs it. sorry, nice person whose name I don’t yet know but will never forget once you’ve punched me in the nose for not knowing it when I meet you at blogher and confess to having not known your name because I cannot edit my thoughts and you’ll be completely p.o.’d, as you should, and I apologize in advance for making you punch me in the nose).

    the end.

    lildb’s last blog post..miercoles GIGANTE! or, this post is nothing to get excited about.

  112. Once again you have lit up the proverbial light bulb. I had no clue that the two were not one and the same! I won’t be grabbing my Sk*rt mags at the library anymore .. and will pay more attention to my Kirtsy emails!
    Those damn penises are always mucking things up.
    Shame.

    caroline’s last blog post..Happy Mother’s Day!

  113. i checked out their website— Skirt Magazine has been around since 1994!!! when did you guys start?

  114. Sarah, you’re triple exclamation points are frightening me but you’re also making me giggle a bit.

    I’m not going to answer your question because I don’t really understand it but I can tell you that I’ve been wearing skirts since 1973 and surprisingly have yet to be sued by whoever invented the word. (I assume her name was “Mrs. Skirt” but I could be wrong on that.)

  118. Jenny the Bloggess…

    Haha, sorry about the !!! I do get carried away.

    My question was what year did http://www.sk*rt.com begin?

    The reason I ask is because, after some research, it appears that Skirt Magazine started well before this website and that Skirt is attempting to protect their brandname.

    I assume Jane Magazine would do the same if a website called http://www.j@ne.com came about….(irregardless of the name Jane having been coined and used years and years before the magazine and the website even existed…. or were even capable to exist for that matter!)

    I’m sorry you had to change your name, but I do like the new name you have picked, Kirtsy, it’s very nice. Best of luck. I assume that there is enough love to go around for both Skirt and Kirtsy to exist in this world!

    And my last point… what is it with all these men-haters? “damn penises mucking things up”. In my feminist world, men are equal to women, just as women are equal to men. 🙂

  119. Thank you Jenny, for informing me – I’m an idiot. I’d noticed the “kirtsy” all over the place and thought, “what the heck is going on?” Now, I know.

    It’s about time I head on over there and find out more about those ladies. Especially if they’re handing out cupcakes! 🙂

  120. Interesting read! Not sure what all of the get up is about? Obviously a cybersquatting case was won by this “kirsty” and lost by skirt mag…

    However, they quickly changed their name to “kirsty” before Skirt could take them to court for Copyright infringement… So obviously someone knew they were in the wrong.

    And now it seems like a feminist rant about winning a lawsuit? Doesn’t add up to me. Not sure what all of the ranting is about.. But after reading this, to believe that the majority of the women posting here are married mothers, is quite disappointing. How immature!

  121. Sarah – read the story. The magazine tried to force the name change – and lost their case. So they threatened to file again, probably in a different venue. They had $$$$MONEY$$$$$ to burn – and the Kirtsy Grrlz didn’t. So, instead of fighting a battle which might easily have led to a Pyrrhic victory, the Kirtsy Grrlz took the road less travelled and changed their name.

    Good for them. However, not so good for the magazine, who showed that while you can get your way sometimes by bullying others, it can also come back and bite you square on the ass.

    ~EdT.

    Ed T.’s last blog post..Hell’s Kitchen: Whining and Dining

  122. This story isn’t one about who would have won the final battle had the kirtsy girls had the money to go up against a billion dollar company. The final verdict could have gone either way and honestly I can see both sides. This story is about the way people treat each other. It’s about 3 sweet chicks who started a website to promote others and who have always been about helping, giving and sisterhood. It’s about a large corporate entity who preaches the stuff that the kirtsy girls stand for, all the while sending out threatening letters, engaging in bullying tactics and generally being assholes.

    There’s nothing wrong with being a man. In fact, I married one and most of my best friends are men (including tons of my readers here). There is however, something wrong with being a dick. There’s no problem with Skirt! Mag acting all Donald Trumpy because they are a business but if Donald Trump started talking all about how he’s all about love and sisterhood and girlpower we would all call him on his bullshit.

    By the way, I’m not affiliated with Skirt Mag or Kirtsy at all, I just have friends on both sides and thought the story should be told.

    While we’re being perfectly honest though, I should mention that one of you has an IP address of Morris Communication (the company that owns Skirt Mag). Please know that this is not an attack on the men and women who work for Skirt, as some of my best friends write for them. It’s simply important that businesses (including yours) be held accountable for their actions and if this backlash causes just one company to be a little nicer in their dealings then this will have been a success.

    To answer your question, Sarah, Sk-rt.com (now kirtsy) existed before skirt.com and is a totally different kind of business than skirt mag which existed in magazine form since the 90’s. However I’ve been using the term “skirt” since I since the 70’s and never had the urge to sue either one.

  125. I had no idea that Skirt! was run by angry corporate guys. I usually pick up a copy at the grocery store and assumed it was like a much smaller O. (The founder?/editor’s name escapes me, but it seems very much her voice/brand, similar to how every issue of O Magazine has Oprah on the cover.)

    The Skirt!/Sk*rt confusion crossed my mind briefly when the site launched, but I assumed both were aware of the other.

    Until I learn more, I’ll continue to read and enjoy both. Kirtsy is a much better name for the site. Flippy, fun and sassy.

    karrie’s last blog post..Top Ten Questions I Have Fielded Today

  126. I am an attorney who helped the awesome kirtsy.com ladies deal with the initial Skirt Magazine cybersquatting arbitration and the multiple follow-up threats of lawsuits. We posted about the initial UDRP victory for sk-rt.com here.

    Skirt Magazine could have handled this much better than it did. The sk-rt.com ladies never received so much as a phone call or letter before being dragged into legal proceedings. They likely would have changed the domain name and brand on request without litigation threats, if for no other reason than to avoid the cost of litigaiton. But instead the protocol was endless threats from lawyers which persisted even after sk-rt.com agreed to change the name.

    The lesson here is simple. Sometimes lawyers only know how to cause and escalate problems, rather than find solutions and explore opportunities. I suppose it is what most lawyers are trained to do, fight threaten, fight.

    The internet has changed things for lawyers and every business with an on-line presence. Lawyers need to be constantly aware that their actions are, for the first time in history, subject to instantaneous scrutiny. Serving clients with internet law problems requires as much business-savvy, as it does legal acumen.

    The blogosphere has a way of knowing when things are right and fair. On the web, companies with internet law issues need to be extremely careful about bullying and the potential backlash that can bring. The sk-rt.com girls were able to do in a couple of months what Skirt Magazine probably won’t ever achieve in terms of building an on-line community of women and monthly web traffic. You would have thought that it would have been a perfect opportunity for them to jump right to the front of the line. But, again, the lawyers could not stop gnawing on the trademark bone long enough to realize the t-bone steaks piled up high right beside them.

    It is unclear whether Skirt Magazine would have ultimately won its trademark infringement lawsuit in the end. But the sk-rt.com girls were never interested in lawyers, litigation or the rest. Their only priority since day one was the community members, which is exactly where it should be.

    Enrico S.’s last blog post..test

  127. I sympathize for the kirtsy ladies, I really do.

    Unfortuantely, skirt magazine existed long before sk-rt.com, as did skirt magazine’s website, skirtmag.com. They even used the flowers/asterisks feature long before sk-rt.com. Skirt magazine is even distributed in Charlotte, NC, where one of the kirtsy girls lives. If the 3 kirtsy are as savvy as they claim to be, how could they have missed all of that?

    Right and fair is to not play off another’s trademark by merely substituting a hyphen for the letter “i”. Clearly skirt magazine would have won the trademark infringement lawsuit.

  128. Pamela, no one disputes that a trademark exists. It was a complete oversight. And, the ladies were not in fact aware of the magazine. Most people in the US aren’t aware of it either and never will be. That’s not the point we are making. The point is that they went about it all wrong. How hard is this to understand? It’s GREATER than a legal issue. It’s a business issue and in this case a missed opportunity for the owners of skirt! magazine. On the contrary, their actions could prove detrimental to their brand.

  129. Pamela,

    I have to think since one of kirtsy’s founders lives in Charlotte, that if Skirt magazine was much of a presence she would have known about it…she’s a graphic designer. And no matter what the industry, the name, or the punctuation, bad press is bad press. Or maybe there’s no such thing as bad press…I guess Skirt Magazine will have to let us know.

  130. Actually Pamela, the magazine did not use the asterisks before sk_rt.com – I thought what you did until someone pointed me towards a great trail of cached screen shots that proves that they in fact modified their own site design to mimic that of sk_rt in recent months – presumably in preparation for a lawsuit?

    If you read the attorney’s comment above you, there was no trademark infringement whatsoever found in initial arbitration. So I’m not sure how you’re using the word “clearly.”

    Mom101’s last blog post..Misunderstood

  131. Loving lawyer-man Enrico S.

    (just so you know I could have been completely inappropriate in so many ways here, but thanks to kirtsy, I’m trying to be more lady-like)

    Amy in Ohio’s last blog post..A Mother’s Dream

  133. I know what magazine I’ll never pick up! You have awesome commenters on here. I can feel the love (and hate) on the screen.

    Any betting folks here? So how long will it take for the magazine to fail? I give em 6 months tops!

    BTW, great analogy by Enrico (normally I would just say the lawyer, but he deserves props) about the steaks and not seeing them. Can I quote you on that?

  134. I think really the point is that branding is about perception. What is legal, moral, right, wrong or otherwise is irrelevant. At the end of the day, kirtsy.com took the high road, and did great things for their brand, while “Skirt!” may have just taken a huge dump on theirs.

    I hope both organizations learn from this experience and become better for it. Time will tell, right?

    Katherine’s last blog post..Wet chihuahua cocoon

  135. I don’t really have an opinion on the who’s right or wrong side of it all.

    But I do know this I live in place where the magazine is distributed. It’s been around a while. Everyone knows what it is. You can’t get your hair done without seeing it laying around in a salon. So I have a hard time buying the idea that if someone lived in the market they were not aware of the publication.

    I heard about the website when it launched and it so closely resembled the concept and look of the magazine that when I visited the site it never even occurred to me that it was run by a different group of people. They seemed one in the same.

    Do I think litigation and threats are right way to address the problem right off the bat? Probably not. Did the ladies do enough research before launching their product/site? Probably not.

    In the end they’ve both gotten way more notoriety out of the whole thing than existed before … so in some ways… everybody won. Why be haters to either party?

    Melizzard’s last blog post..Congratulations FussyPants

  137. My, oh my, this just gets better & better (or worse & worse depending on how ya look at it). Can someone just copyright every single symbol in the English language and get this over with?

    I’m miffed with “Pamela’s” (she is, according to the website to which “she” linked, a Feminist–from the site: Although a feminist, Pam still likes to look at eye candy. Send cute picutures of yourself to–pamdemoniumzine@hotmail.com“) insinuation that the site formerly known as sk*rt is less than savvy is less than accurate.

    Anyway, this would make a great SNL episode. Just sayin’…Power to Kirtsy. If/when I have babies one day…Skirt(!) or (?) or (*) or whatever they finally decide to call themselves, assuming (and this is a big ASSumption) they’re still around…will be on the No Read list. Along with, like…well, just that.

    Rawr.

    Gwen Bell’s last blog post..Sk*rt is Now Kirtsy: Proof You Can Deal with Dicks & Come Out on Top

  139. Don’t be sad, Shoegirl. You rock no matter where you write and I’m so proud to be your friend. The actions of the Skirt mag people who made these dumbass decisions are not indicative of many of the talented people who contribute there. I’m sad that the writers are having to deal with this crap especially since so many of my friends contribute their writing there and now are having to deal with this negative backlash that they weren’t even aware of.

    You rock, as do all men and women who contribute to the good to the world with their writing, art, and thoughts.

    I’ve had some xanax. Can you tell?

  141. OMG! That totally sucks! I got an email saying they were changing their name but never got around to reading it, because I’m too absorbed in my own ME-dome. There’s nothing I hate more than a bunch of misogynist in chic clothing!

    Monkeytoemomma’s last blog post..When Doves Die.

  142. I have a confession.

    From my years of working at the giant asshole law firm full of penises (seriously, the penis to no-penis ratio was seriously off kilter), I was surprised that sk-rt didn’t get sued when they launched.

    It all sucks balls though, especially that they tried to feed them poisoned cupcakes, but I’m not surprised. Evil bastards. Anyways – I don’t miss the hyphen, and I like the kirtsy name. It is really cutesy.

    Christine’s last blog post..Life = Risks

  143. (I’m a bit too seriously in that post. That second seriously in the penis sentence should be a waaaaaay instead of a seriously. Sorry, I was distracted by the penises.)

    Christine’s last blog post..Life = Risks

  144. Pingback: A Kirtsy for You | defining someday

  145. Wow…I can’t even recall how I got to this page but talk about KARMA! I picked up Skirt! Magazine last year while visiting my bf in ATL…instantly fell in love with the premise, etc and even, until today, aspired to publish a piece with them! Well I may be definitely rethinking that goal! Gosh–what a disappointment. But YEA! to Kurtsy…cuter name anyway. : )

    Lesli’s last blog post..Update: Sleepless in Athens

  146. I am so disappointed to find this out about Skirt! Magazine. I won’t be picking it up anymore. I believe in competition, and patents, trademarks, etc. But not in theft!

    I like the Kirtsy name, but I liked Skirt better!

    I guess ‘fair is rare’, as a girlfriend of mine use to tell her children.

    I also never knew about the Skirt webpage before, (now Kirtsy) but I’ll be there. Thanks.

  147. Pingback: Sara Ost » Blog Archive » Kirtsy, Please

  148. Wow, that is insane! I had no idea! I’ve actually never read Skirt! magazine, because it doesn’t really have a West Coast presence (though it was just becoming big in the South when I left five years ago). However, I am going on a press trip next week, and the EIC of Skirt! Atlanta is going to be there, and I’ll totally throw rocks at her on your friends’ behalf (behalves?).

    Camels & Chocolate’s last blog post..Why Do Internet Scammers Always Hail From Nigeria?

  150. Pingback: Kirtsy Rules, Skirt Drools | White Trash Mom

  154. I am one of the people who is threatening to sue for 2 million dollars to all the dicks that wear skirts. They should of left me alone with my own plastic and rubber if you get my drift . But no everyone has to know what a girl does when shes not kirtsying.

  156. I am so disappointed to find this out about Skirt! Magazine. I won’t be picking it up anymore. I believe in competition, and patents, trademarks, etc. But not in theft!

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