[e-drug] Bayer attacks critical coverage

[CBGnetwork <CBGnetwork@gmx.net>]

E-drug: Bayer attacks critical coverage
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[Cross-posted from Ip-health list. Thanks. HH]

Dear friends,

Bayer Corporation forced us to stop our homepage
www.bayerwatch.org (see attached article). Please change your link
to our new site: www.CBGnetwork.org Our group will not be
allowed to bear the name Bayerwatch. We have to use our German
name CBG (Coordination gegen BAYER-Gefahren / Coordination
against BAYER-dangers). Please change our name in your
publications because we will be fined for using "Bayerwatch" and
please spread the following article. Thanks for your cooperation!

BAYER ATTACKS CRITICAL COVERAGE
Economic superiority puts a stop to homepage

Bayer AG has forced the German group Coordination against
BAYER-Dangers (CBG) to remove their homepage from the Internet
by threatening them with heavy court costs. CBG had registered a
domain and had oriented the name to be similar to other group
names such as Germanwatch, AOLwatch, and Human Rights
Watch. Bayer has taken legal action to apparently avoid confusion -
despite the homepage's unequivocally critical orientation.

The company also forced the group to cancel the related trademark
by threatening them with a second court case. The CBG had
already successfully registered the aforementioned name with the
Munich Patent Office. Bayer has assessed the amount of the
controversies to be 250,000 DM (115.000 US$) each, which would
have led to the CBG having to pay over 100,000 DM in court costs.
The honorary association therefore had no other choice but to
concede by canceling the trademark and homepage.

The Patent Office's copyright investigation had reviewed whether
there was any danger of confusion as a result of the copyrighted
trademark and had determined that there was none. Bayer's
arguments are also ignoring a recent court decision that declared
that a domain name cannot be viewed separately from the contents
of a homepage.

Axel Koehler-Schnura had the following to say about the issue:
"Bayer's behavior in this issue, which is clearly directed towards
the network's economic ruin is clearly an attack on democratic
principles and freedom of opinion. The company is obviously afraid
of a public discussion and has instead chosen repression and the
devastating power of money". According to Koehler-Schnura, the
association does not want to waste its energy on legal hair-splitting
on letters, but instead chooses to continue to publicize the
company's role in causing environmental damage, maintaining
worker exploitation and endangering human health throughout the
world.

The Bayer Group's attempts to prohibit the CBG from criticizing the
company on the Internet have failed. You can now find all of the
network's information and publications (including English newsletter
Keycode Bayer) at www.cbgnetwork.org. However, the
proceedings have already used up an exorbitant amount of money,
which could threaten the group's existence. The CBG is therefore
urgently asking for financial backing against the expensive legal
attacks. Please show your support and transfer money to the
following German bank account: Oekobank, account number 17 96
12, bank routing number (BLZ) 500 901 00 In addition, the CBG is
asking associated groups to stage protests against this attack at the
Bayer headquarters. An initial attempt by Bayer to silence the group
was rejected by the Bundesverfassungsgericht (German Federal
Constitutional Court) in 1992. The CBG has been campaigning
against the questionable practices of Bayer's international
operations for over 20 years. 

CBG/Coordination against BAYER-dangers collects information
about BAYER and coordinates activities against violations of human
and environmental rights caused by this company. Anyone who has
information on possibly illicit activities of BAYER - please let us
know. Anyone who needs photos or information concerning BAYER
is invited to contact us:

CBG/Coordination against BAYER-dangers
Postfach 15 04 18
40081  Duesseldorf, Germany
E-mail: CBGnetwork@aol.com
website: www.CBGnetwork.org
Fax: +49 211 333 940 Tel: +49 211 333 911


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