Geoff has found a friend in Time Out magazine this week who published the following story about his legal hassles with Transport for London. If you’re not familiar with the story, see previously. The Register also posted a followup with the desperately spineless Claranet who were incapable of discerning barratry from genuine legal complaint in the simple case of linking to off-site content. John Oates reports that their Managing Director blames UK law and unbelievably, for the MD of an internet hosting provider, recommends we host sites outside the UK. Well, we did that already. Geoff gives some updates here and here. The Metro printed a little piece about it, too. Excitingly, it may be that my email to Private Eye didn’t go astray, Geoff says the next issue should have something lambasting the costs of these legal efforts. When’s the next Eye out?
Transcript of the Timeout story:
p14, Time Out London No. 1858, March 29 2006
Subway Section
TfL sanctions to end our tube map fun?
Reporter was shocked to hear that one of our favourite websites got in a spot of bother this week. The website, www.geofftech.co.uk, featured alterantive (or ‘mashed up’, as they say in blogspeak) maps of the London Underground. One map had Harry Beck’s 1931 masterpiece redrawn upsidedown, with all the stations spelt backwards; another showed all the overground bits of the tube system - especially handy for impatient mobile-phone users. But now, Geoff Marshall, the man behind the site, has been ordered by the men in suits at Transport for London (TfL) to remove the maps because they breach TfL copyright laws, and his internet provider has pulled the offending pages.
‘We are a few sad enthusiasts who are not making any money from these sorts of sites,’ Marshall said. ‘I love the tube and thought TfL would be happy that I was healthily promoting it. TfL is out of touch with the internet and blog world. There are hundreds of people out there doing this sort of thing. I feel like the child in the playground who’s being picked on when others are making financial gain from such sites.’
Last year, Marshall used the site to collect money for Tube Relief, a fund for the survivors of the July 7 bombings.
A spokesperson for TfL said: ‘We will never elimiinate all the altered tube maps that are doing the rounds on the web but if something does come to light, we have a responsibility to look after our image.’
If you missed any of Marshall’s creations, there are loads of other great ‘mashed up’ maps out there that we’d love to direct you to (although TfL’s legal eagles would swoop down on us - and the sites - in a flash). Just remember to mind the gap at St Balls.
Tags: tube, london, publictransport, trains, parody, legal, lawyers, tfl, londonunderground
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