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A federal court ordered the latest Rick Berman front group to take down its anti-healthcare ad because of trademark violations. Berman’s group falsely claimed several doctors’ groups opposed “government health care,” and those groups weren’t too happy.
The American College of Surgeons filed a complaint in Illinois’ Northern District alleging that the Employee Freedom Action Committee — one of a host of groups run by lobbyist Rick Berman — had violated trademark law and defamed the group by including the College of Surgeons on a scrolling list headed “Doctors Against the Plan.”
A plastic surgeons’ group also complained of the ad, which was based on a December 1 letter from surgical associations saying they opposed the bill as it was then written; the groups now say they’re waiting to see its final form. A Berman aide argued that the ad accurately characterized the groups’ positions.
The ad was run by the “Committee to Rethink Reform,” a 501(c)4 not required to disclose its donors.
While the ad has been removed from the front group’s YouTube channel, you can see the original version above.
Chalk this incident up as yet another blatantly false attack from Rick Berman, who major corporations use as their sock puppet to push ideas like “pregnant women shouldn’t worry about eating mercury,” “secondhand smoke doesn’t cause cancer,” and “we should lower the drunk driving levels because it’s not really a big deal.” While those aren’t direct quotes, the ideas have all been advocated by Berman or his front groups.
Case in point: the spokeswoman Berman trotted out to defend this blatantly false ad, Sarah Longwell, is also the same spokesperson he uses to defend the tanning bed industry.
Update: the copied video has also been removed, but you can still see the still above.
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About Work in Progress
The video link above sez it’s been removed.
I mentioned you in my diary this morning. Again. *g*
I will be going to a pro-health-care-reform rally today in Lewiston, Maine. All Mainers here at FDL are welcome to join us! The rally is on 11 Lisbon St., Lewiston from 12-1pm.
HERE’S WHAT MY SIGN WILL SAY IN EFFECT: “Collins, Snowe, Lieberman continue to deny American’s health care while financially supporting the killing of Iraqis & Afghans”
You’re right, good catch – going to leave the video for the screenshot but add an update
Priceless! It’s great to see these liars and frauds get their due.
You will have to carry a very large sign.
Hi Hi Kay. Good on ya.
the judge only got this one half right
to get it entirely correct the judge should have forced them to produce teh exact add telling the truth, that those organizations all support health care, and then the judge should have ordered the add be broadcast in exactly the same spots at exactly the same times they rean the first time
I am not being snarkish, that would have been the only real decision and in my opinion the judge could have awareded punitive harm by forcind the add run 5 times as often as the original
Corporate Whore Rick Berman Smacked Down by Court for Anti-Health Care Ad
glad that you added Berman’s name specifically. Otherwise, the potential field (of corporate whores) would be way too large to even hazard a guess as to who you’re talking about…..
I left you a youtube link.
Too back we can’t make Berman a household name and then precede his ads with “This ad brought to you by Rick Berman.” Then all the remotes would click to another channel.
Now back to cookie baking.
I always use the big padded poster board for my signs. :-) I gotta lot to say!
You’re always good for a smile. Thank Gawd for you, jayt.
Yes, you do. And, you get out there to say it. Very impressive.
Thanks, hon.
Anyone wanting a grin, check out the Seminal.
Berman was also behind the “Rotten Acorn” ads run last year.
His anti-union rheoric is much in demand by industries who are against workers having a choice to unionize-such as the food and Beverage idustry-of whom Berman has been closely affiliated all these years. It is not for naught that he is termed euphemistically as “Dr. Evil”.
Sourcewatch has a truly excellent entry about Berman,of which the following is merely a snippet:
Anti-ACORN activity
For several years, Berman has been fighting efforts by the voter registration/community organizing group ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) to raise the minimum wage at the state and federal levels. To assist with his efforts, Berman created a Web site, http://www.rottenacorn.com, slamming the group. Contact information on RottenACORN.com directs readers to the Employment Policies Institute,[11] a Berman front group which shares the same address as Berman’s lobbying business, Berman & Company.[12]
In the fall of 2008, prior to the general election, a full-page, anti-ACORN ad appeared in the New York Times that accused acorn of a list of abuses that would make the group appear hypocritical: intimidating and firing its own employees when they try to unionize, misappropriating millions of dollars from taxpayer-funded government grants and advocating minimum wage hikes while paying its own employees less than minimum wage.
The ad did not indicate what person or organization had funded it.[13]In an October 29, 2008 article, the investigative journalism group ProPublica revealed that the ad and the Web site “RottenACORN.com” are funded by Rick Berman’s Employment Policies Institute, which has among its clients, the American Beverage Institute, a trade group for bars and restaurants.
Sourcewatch
Hey, we’re on Eastern time! ;o)
karen
Rick Berman – SourceWatchRichard B. (Rick) Berman is a former labor management attorney and restaurant industry executive who currently works as a lobbyist for the food, …
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Rick_Berman – Cached – Similar
NOTE: Wouldn’t you just LOVE a Berman smackdown by Jane,a la Lanny Davis?
WHO’S in YOUR wallet,Rick?
Maddow interviewed Berman in October –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjGp37PlGR4
edit: sorry that was just the lead in to the interview.
talk about ethics in business… and government…media… there’s no sign of it.
Not your grandfather’s justice system:
“Thomsen and other doctors were baffled about why 20 kidney patients who had been given routine scans were afflicted by a disorder — nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) — in which the skin gradually swells, thickens and tightens. Some sufferers were confined to wheelchairs. At least one died. There was no known cure.
Then, in March 2006, came a breakthrough. It was confirmed that all those who had fallen ill with NSF had been given the same drug in advance of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
Omniscan was used to enhance the images produced by the scan. The product was sold around the world and was manufactured by GE Healthcare, a subsidiary of General Electric, one of the world’s largest corporations.
[..]
Thomsen, however, now refuses to speak anywhere in England on the possible risks of Omniscan. The reason is that he faces another kind of storm: GE Healthcare is suing him for libel in the UK High Court.
[..]
In recent weeks, The Sunday Times has highlighted how London’s draconian libel laws are being used to intimidate critics of the rich and the powerful into silence. In a number of cases, plaintiffs and claimants have little apparent connection with the UK. Campaign groups have warned that vital scientific and medical work is being threatened because of the threat of libel actions.”
(link: http://rawstory.com/2009/12/libel-gag-talk-medical-hurricane/)
RE: Corporate Whore Rick Berman…
MY COMMENT: Please! I believe they prefer to be called corporate prostitutes.