If only all copyright and false accusation legal matters could be settled with a fundraiser to help save wildlife and also cure cancer.
After claiming on his blog that competitor website FunnyJunk was turning a profit by posting his copyrighted comics without permission or credit, Matthew “The Oatmeal” Inman was slapped with a legal notice demanding that false accusations be taken down from his website. In order to avoid time in court, the letter sent from FunnyJunk’s lawyer, Charles Carreon, said that Inman could pay the website $20,000 in damages, instead.
After consulting with his own lawyer, Inman countered the lawsuit with a surprising act of charity.
“I’ve got a better idea,” Inman said in his response to Carreon. “I’m going to try and raise $20,000 in donations. I’m going to take a picture of the raised money. I’m going to mail you that photo, along with this drawing of your mom seducing a kodiak bear. I’m going to take that money and donate one half to the National Wildlife Federation and the other half to the American Cancer Society.”
He then announced, “Operation Bearlove Good. Cancer Bad. Now commencing.”
Inman’s goal of raising $20,000 was met within 64 minutes of the campaign’s launch on Monday, says Sam Gibbs of Gizmodo. With eleven days left in the fundraiser, Inman’s quirky idea has surpassed all expectations and raised more than $168,400.
“I’m completely unfamiliar really with this style of responding to a legal threat - I’ve never really seen it before,” Carreon explained to MSNBC. “It’s an education in the power of mob psychology and the Internet.”
As Carreon grapples with how to react to Inman’s charitable response, Inman is stuck trying to figure out how to withdraw over $150,000 so he can photograph it next to a drawing of a woman attempting to seduce a bear.
“I think I might need an armored truck,” he said.
Check out his graphic below, and then click over to Inman's fundraising site for the full version and to learn how you can help.
What do you think of Inman's reaction? Let us know in the comments below.