Communist Party sues Democrats on platform theft

[August]

Even the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) has now objected to the Democrat Party, suing the Democrats and its leadership for “stealing” their party platform and relabeling it as “progressive”.
According to political hotwire and many other sources, CPUSA claims that the entire so-called “new” Democratic agenda is, in fact, the product of a decades-long, painstaking campaign by CPUSA theorists, agitators, and underground subversive cells - which makes it the intellectual property of the Communist Party USA, protected by American copyright laws. “They stole our entire platform, rebranded it ‘progressive’, and claimed it as their own,” declared a CPUSA spokesperson at a press conference in San Francisco. “And we communists say, not so fast! Not in this country anyway, where we still have property rights and the rule of law, thank God! Actually, let me rephrase that...”, which was a comment to undermine God as both the Democrats and Communists have done.

http://www.mantecabulletin.com/news/article/14388/

Why do I not find this surprising?

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Snestorm

Why do I not find this surprising?

If you go to the link you'll find it's not a news article, it's an opinion piece.

A quick visit to the CPUSA website shows that their "featured" and most recent press release is dated March 2008. If they had a press conference to announce a lawsuit against the Democratic party over platform theft I think it would be prominently noted there. It's not.

[Tchocky]

The first part is funny enough, second half is a bit scary.

[UnderseaLcpl]

The article may be joking, but it still isn't far off. If you change Communist Party USA to Socialist Party USA and change "suing the Democrats" to "suing the major parties"...... Well, let's look briefly at the Socialist Party platform of 1928 to see whether they have a legitimate grievance.

“Nationalization of our natural resources, beginning with the coal mines and water sites, particularly at Boulder Dam(Hoover Dam) and Muscle Shoals.”

“A publicly owned giant power system under which the federal government shall cooperate with the states and municipalities in the distribution of electrical energy to the people at cost.”

“National ownership and democratic management of railroads and other means of transportation and communication.”

“An adequate national program for flood control, flood relief, reforestation, irrigation, and reclamation.”

“Immediate governmental relief of the unemployed by the extension of all public works and a program of long range planning of public works . . . All persons thus employed to be engaged at hours and wages fixed by bona-fide labor unions.”

“Loans to states and municipalities without interest for the purpose of carrying on public works and the taking of such other measures as will lessen widespread misery.”

“A system of unemployment insurance.”

“The nation-wide extension of public employment agencies in cooperation with city federations of labor.”

“A system of health and accident insurance and of old age pensions as well as unemployment insurance.”

“Shortening the workday” and “Securing every worker a rest period of no less than two days in each week.”

“Enacting of an adequate federal anti-child labor amendment.”

“Abolition of the brutal exploitation of convicts under the contract system and substitution of a cooperative organization of industries in penitentiaries and workshops for the benefit of convicts and their dependents.”

“Increase taxation on high income levels, of corporation taxes and inheritance taxes, the proceeds to be used for old age pensions and other forms of social insurance.”

“Appropriation by taxation of the annual rental value of all land held for speculation.”

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

If you go to the link you'll find it's not a news article, it's an opinion piece.

A quick visit to the CPUSA website shows that their "featured" and most recent press release is dated March 2008. If they had a press conference to announce a lawsuit against the Democratic party over platform theft I think it would be prominently noted there. It's not.

Noted. Thanks.

However, there certainly are quite a few paralels.

(How a lawsuit could be brought on these grounds was a-bit beyond my comprehension.
You can't think that way, because I thought that way first?!?! Absurd!)

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by Snestorm

How a lawsuit could be brought on these grounds was a bit beyond my comprehension.
You can't think that way, because I thought that way first?!?! Absurd!

I get where you're coming from, but it isn't that absurd. Copyright law concerning intellectual property does that all the time. It's a good thing (Martha Stewart hasn't copyrighted that phrase, right?)

Ok, seriously now, copyright protection gives innovators a reason to innovate. Without it, there is little promise of profit from their efforts. It doesn't work perfectly, as any disappointed child who receives a knockoff of their favorite movie, game, or book can attest, but it works pretty well.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Snestorm

You can't think that way, because I thought that way first?!?! Absurd!)

In most states there are very few limitations on whether you can sue someone or not. This is why our courts are full of frivolous lawsuites.

This is a non-story until they can successfully sue the Democratic Party.

I don't think you can win based on the claim that one party "stole" the platform of another party.

Now if there was a trademark violation, this would have merit.

[VonHesse]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

If you go to the link you'll find it's not a news article, it's an opinion piece.

Actually, appears to originally have been a satire piece that was copied and pasted into an opinion blog with the intent of passing it on as a true/relevant story. Woops

Look here: http://thepeoplescube.com/red/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5149


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What!? Why haven't I heard any of this on my local news?! Oh, right, liberal media coverup...

Obama's War on Fox News Becomes a Quagmire

Actually a pretty funny website. Good for a few lolz, but bad for citing in news/opinion stories.

[Weiss Pinguin]

LOL

But honestly, tell me you couldn't see this happening in real life

[FIREWALL]

[August]

Originally Posted by Weiss Pinguin

LOL

But honestly, tell me you couldn't see this happening in real life

Truth can be stranger than fiction!