The International StopEsso campaign has today set up a new and uncensored French language website in Texas, following Esso's legal action against Greenpeace France over its internet use of the company's logos.
The sitecomplete with the French logos Exxon's French subsidiary Esso in France sued over, is now sitting on a server outside Houston, Texas, near parent company ExxonMobil's controversial Baytown refinery.
Earlier this month a French Court supported a bid by Esso France to ban Greenpeace France from using a parody of the Esso logo on its French website. The logo, which replaces the 'SS' with dollar signs, has been used by the now global StopEsso campaign since its inception in the UK in May last year.
"As far as we are concerned the debate here should be about Esso's activities to derail action on climate change but Esso's attempts to gag a key part of the campaign through the courts has made this a free speech issue as well" said Greenpeace International StopEsso campaigner Stephanie Tunmore
"The International StopEsso Campaign decided to set up this website in ExxonMobil's back yard because we believe that every citizen in every country, speaking whatever language, has a right to know the lengths this company will go to in its efforts to carry on business as usual" she said.
There are a number of different ways for visitors to the site to support the campaign and free speech, including sending an internet card of the parodied logo, emailing Esso Paris, writing to the architect of ExxonMobil's climate policy, CEO Lee Raymond, a competition for a new StopEsso logo, and calls for other websites to mirror and link to it.
Greenpeace France's site will continue but has said it will stop using the logos as ordered. Greenpeace France has not been involved in setting up the new site.
"The global campaign carries on regardless" said Tunmore "and of course we are sure Greenpeace France will appeal this decision in the French courts. The irony for Esso is that its heavy handed tactics have backfired and only served to heighten awareness and anger around the world".
Notes to Editors
The French courts rejected all but one of Esso's many claims including the allegation that Greenpeace France and StopEsso were trying to make the dollar signs look like the infamous 'SS' insignia. They included:
Its bid to get Greenpeace France to take the word Esso out of the source code to stop Google and other search engines from getting to StopEsso
Its claim for a penalty of 80,000 Euros a day if Greenpeace France didn't comply. The judge reduced this to 5,000 Euros a day;
Its attempt to have the logo taken off all printed materials;
Its claim that the $$ look like Nazi symbols;
Its bid to stop Greenpeace France from using the words Stop Esso.
You can view the official court judgement at:
http://www.stopesso.com/pdf/judgfr.pdf (French)
http://www.stopesso.com/pdf/judgeng.pdf (English)
