The Yes Men

Since launching the greenwashing emoji, @theyesmen, the activist group behind the campaign targeting liquified natural gas, have been hit with legal action by Condé Nast. You can read more about that here: eff.org/deeplinks/2024/09/cl… I think Fair Use is an extremely important principle for creativity because Fair Use gives creators latitude to use, reinterpret, and comment upon copyrighted material. This principle is especially important for social and political commentary because parody requires the use of an understandable pre-existing reference such as a person’s likeness or a corporate identity. Fair Use is the vehicle for free speech, which might upset powerful people when their identities or intellectual property is parodied and critiqued. I support the Yes Men and their right to incorporate references to Wired Magazine as they comment upon corporate greenwashing. The most powerful voices in media should be holding irresponsible corporations to account, rather than attacking creatives who choose to call out the same corporations given a pass by the media. – Shepard Fairey