If you can’t take a joke, chances are you’re going to become the butt of many jokes in the future. That’s what The North Face, the popular American outdoor product company known for their high-priced outdoor products, found after multiple frivolous legal actions against persons that The North Face felt “violated” their self-described “iconic” logo. The North Face logo, seen above, presents a slightly skewed quarter-circle with two lines running through it and is thought to be an interpretation of High Dome, a massive granite monolith in Yosemite National Park (as far as we know, Yosemite has yet to file a suit against The North Face). The logo has become the butt of many jokes and pissing off The North Face has become a favorite pastime for many.
North Face vs. South Butt
Earlier in 2009, North Face corporate bullies went after an 18-year-old student for creating a line of clothes under the “South Butt” brand. Ignoring public outcry, North Face pounded the kid into the ground despite the young laddie pointing out that not many people would confuse a “butt” with a “face”. The two eventually settled and the kid ended up renaming the company “Butt Face” giving North Face a final parting slap after the legal escapades wound down.
The Flickr takedown notice
Now we hear that North Face is at it again filing a takedown notice with Flickr regarding “Hey F*%k Face” parody logos that “Mr. Smashy” posted. “Mr. Smashy” received the following notice from Yahoo/Flickr:
Dear Mr. Smashy. We have received a Notice of Infringement from The North FaceVF Outdoor, Inc. via the Yahoo! Copyright/IP Team and have removed the following photo(s) from your photostream: [five photos listed].
Ignoring the fact that their logo (see example above) looks like, dare I say it, three humping slinkys, The North Face continues to do what they deem necessary to protect their corporate image. Still, The North Face parodies continue to proliferate.
The North Face logo fun begins
The “Hey F*%k Face” logo was attached to a piece of rifle gear.
And then a T-shirt.
Then people began modifying their North Face gear introducing their own interpretation of the logo.
Soon, clever entrepreneurs began using the logo to point out where they live.
Even the San Francisco group jumped in with their “rainbow” version.
Others offered a more poignant interpretation.
Foreign companies jumped on the band-wagon.
While others just got down-right nasty about it.
Even the radicals with no concept of social acceptability got in on the gig.
The chaotic confusion even rattled North Face who seemingly forgot their brand color, rendering the “uniqueness” of their logo obsolete.
In the end though, it’s all about branding and image.
