“The materials on this website are copyrighted and are presented exclusively for viewing by clients, prospects, and employees. Before entering the site, we ask that you agree not to copy, rebroadcast, or otherwise reproduce the work displayed here.” –Goodby Silverstein & Partners
I’ve noticed this STOP sign before, and bemusedly bypassed it. Sure, it’s annoying, if not stupid, but Goodby has earned a tanker of respect, so I let it slide.
Todd at The Bullshit Observer chose otherwise. Here’s his read on the legalese (if you’re offended by dirty words, skip this post):
Well, God only knows why they’ve done it. But Goodby Silverstein and overworked underpaid Partners are now making visitors to their site agree not to steal their brilliant, award-winning ideas and try to pass them off as their own.
Now I’m fucked. Where the hell am I going to get my next idea? Leo Burnett? Fuck that. Grey? Shit no. Goddamnit Jeff, what’s the big deal? Just one more idea. Please…please…..pretty please with some cute AD intern’s cherry on top.
Looks like I’ll have to go back to driving cabs and juggling.
I can actually see other agencies pulling this kind of crap, but Goodby doing so is hard to understand. These are the blue jeans wearing, pot smoking freaks of the ad biz. Sure they have lawyers, and a degree of paranoia (hey, that Mendocino County strain can be pretty powerful), but there’s no excuse for it. If you did not already know these guys, you’d think they were the stiffest suits in San Francisco.