Furniture Causes FedEx Fits

**Blarian** · 08-11-2005, 01:48 PM

Amazing:
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,68492,00.html

This guy builds furniture out of fed ex boxes!

**SouthernTn** · 08-11-2005, 02:20 PM

They sent him a letter too... Why?!? Theres nothing wrong with what he is doing. imo

**JMJ** · 08-11-2005, 02:21 PM

"FedEx also said in the Aug. 3 letter that Avila clearly intended to operate a business from his website because he used the .com domain suffix, the "commercial level domain,"

Goes to show these lawyers aren't so bright. Overpaid cry babies working for a corporate bully.

**Auction** · 08-11-2005, 03:13 PM

Fedex provides free boxes and other supplies as a courtesy to customers (not for building furniture or whatever else).

Originally Posted by SouthernTn

They sent him a letter too... Why?!? Theres nothing wrong with what he is doing. imo

**SouthernTn** · 08-11-2005, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by Buyout.com

Fedex provides free boxes and other supplies as a courtesy to customers (not for building furniture or whatever else).

I look at it as a promotion towards their services.

**JMJ** · 08-11-2005, 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by SouthernTn

I look at it as a promotion towards their services.

As would the majority of the public. Sort of like the ebay auctions going on lately only this guy isn't getting paid for it. Instead Fed-Ex's lawyers are billing them hundreds if not thousands an hour to consult them into bullying the guy around. If they were wise they would buy they guy real furniture and have their logo's put on everything and enjoy the nearly free publicity. But instead they chose the negative publicity route on behalf of their lawyers.

**Dave Zan** · 08-11-2005, 09:44 PM

Now here's a guy who's really creative. :-D

http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,...tml?tw=rss.TOP

Good luck to the registrant!

**Blarian** · 08-11-2005, 11:37 PM

It's very interesting indeed. We have a discussion going on about it in the lounge, but maybe it may be more appropriate over here since it's a legal thing now.
http://www.dnforum.com/f31/fed-ex-furniture-107043.html

**Focus** · 08-12-2005, 12:57 AM

I registered fedexfurniture.com .....lol j/k

**Focus** · 08-12-2005, 01:00 AM

UPS all the way baby! What a great move it would have been for them to help the poor kid out....well, now since they are nearly suing him and it's getting media attention the kid will be famous...nice how that works out...he will probably end up selling the furniture on ebay and ohh wont that be a legal nightmare! lmao

I registered fedexfurniture.com.......no not really...

Chris

**GiantDomains** · 08-12-2005, 05:44 AM

Threads merged.

**GiantDomains** · 08-12-2005, 05:49 AM

Originally Posted by SouthernTn

I look at it as a promotion towards their services.

Until you paint it, lol.

**Domagon** · 08-12-2005, 06:37 AM

Firstly, I wonder if the law firm sent him the letter FedEx?...

Secondly, FedEx could have really capitalized on it by incorporating it into an ad campaign, etc.

With all that said, while I disagree with how they've gone about it, FedEx certainly has cause to be upset about their boxes not being used as intended; on the bright side, at least this guy chose FedEx over the US Postal Service, who are very anal about their boxes and likely would have done more than just send a nastygram.

Ron

**dtobias** · 08-12-2005, 08:00 AM

Originally Posted by NameMogul.com

"FedEx also said in the Aug. 3 letter that Avila clearly intended to operate a business from his website because he used the .com domain suffix, the "commercial level domain,"

Goes to show these lawyers aren't so bright. Overpaid cry babies working for a corporate bully.

Actually, it shows more cluefulness than most people have these days; perhaps they actually read RFC 1591, and understand the meaning of the different top level domains. A noncommercial site about furniture made from FedEx boxes would best be placed in a more appropriate TLD.

Regarding the case as a whole, I think FedEx should have shown a greater degree of sensitivity, certainly, but they do have some valid points; the guy obtained their boxes under false pretenses (they're distributed free by FedEx for the purpose of people sending shipments through them, not for the purpose of building furniture), and then used FedEx's trademarked name in discussing his furniture creations; there are some indications that he's also making T-shirts and similar things depicting this furniture, including the FedEx logo. So the company has valid reason to be concerned about its own rights, though sending lawyers with guns blazing is probably not the best technique, PR-wise, in the Internet era.

**M90** · 08-12-2005, 08:23 AM

This story is just about to go Blogal since it has already been picked up by a few of the big name bloggers and it will inevitably turn into a blogging phenomenon. Right now, FedEx are being viewed as the big, bad, evil corporation trying to crush the poor man.

If they keep going the way they have been, they'll come out with a tattered reputation.

If someone from the top management 'stepped in', ordered off the dogs and offered the guy a sweetner by way of furniture, a happy handshake and smiley faces all round, the debacle can be turned into a PR coup.

Sure, for a while they would need to stiff up for all the extra boxes they'd go through while the copycats did their thing but it would fade nice and quietly away and they'd get lots of positive press out of it.

**Focus** · 08-12-2005, 09:33 PM

M90! WELL SAID DUDE! maybe we should send the marketing director of fedex a link to this thread for ideas...but oops!, maybe they will sue Adam too since we did'nt put the little "tm" disclaimer after "Fedex" when we used their name in our posts and neither did the site mods, uhh oh! Time to refinance the house and get a lawyer!...lmao

Fedex = Stinks

**Acro** · 08-16-2005, 12:17 AM

I don't think he'd be in any trouble if he hadn't registered and used http://www.fedexfurniture.com - instead of a different personal/blog-type URL. He *will* be forced to take it down.

I like this part on Wired's story:

"An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Avila had passed out cards and T-shirts featuring his website at Black Hat. Avila tried to have the cards and shirts made, but FedEx Kinko's refused to do the job."

**Dale Hubbard** · 08-16-2005, 04:13 AM

FedEx are completely founded in taking action in this case IMHO. I just read their last letter to him on the fedexfurniture.com site. He's pushing his luck I think regardless of the comic angle.