UK: WHSmith mulls legal action against WHSpliff.net

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Tim Richardson

The Register

Friday 16 Nov 2001

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WHSmith is musing over whether to take legal action against a pro-cannabis
Web site which bears a remarkably similar name to the high street
stationer's brand.

WHSpliff.net was set up in August and campaigns for the legalisation of
cannabis in the UK.

Under the catch line "we don't sell stationery - we aim to make you
stationary!" the site lays out the arguments for the legalisation of the
drug.

Writes Mike Cottee, Webmaster at WHSpliff.net: "Whilst the fact remains that
we are able to kill ourselves with the consumption of both tobacco and
alcohol, lining the pockets of both big business and government, we are not
legally able to enjoy the far less harmful substance known as cannabis.
There is an estimated six million regular cannabis users in the UK facing
arrest for a "crime" that has no victim."

WHSmith has yet to decide whether it will take legal action against the
site. A spokeswoman for WHSmith told El Reg: "Clearly, this site has nothing
to do with our business. But we are looking at the implications this has for
our brand. We have an obligation to protect our brand."

WHSpliff.net has launched a range of T-shirts - with catchy lines such as
"Prohibition doesn't work... let's turn over a new leaf" and "Legalise
it...let the good times roll" - to help fund the running of the site.

With so many dotcoms going up in smoke, here's hoping that WHSpliff.net
doesn't make a complete hash of its ecommerce operation.

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