The giant toy store, Toys "R" Us, Inc. has threatened a lawsuit against Roadkills-R-Us. Roadkills-R-Us is a page on the Internet's booming World Wide Web. (http://www.rru.com/) In a letter dated April 24, 1995, attorneys representing Toys "R" Us, Inc. informed the creator of Roadkills-R-Us that his page was in conflict with their trademark.
Miles O'Neal, an Internet guru and the creator of Roadkills-R-Us responded, "Roadkills-R-Us does not actually exist as a company, or as any other sort of legal entity. It is purely an entertaining diversion, a product of my imagination, which is currently expressed in Cyberspace." Mr. O'Neal created the Roadkills-R-Us as a collection of satire and humor that could be accessed from any other computer in the world by the use of the Internet. "I created RRU in 1988, and it existed only on Usenet news and in email until 1993, when it moved onto the Web."
Mr. O'Neal's friend and partner, Jonathan Schober, believes that the Internet is a community, and its members should act as such. "What Toys "R" Us needs to understand is that Miles and Roadkills-R-Us have been here for over 7 years ... As with any other community there are certain rules of etiquette and manners that need to be followed. Threatening to sue a neighbor on the Net is considered both rude and unacceptable."
Mr. O'Neal is currently requesting feedback from the community of Internet users in regards to this situation. "We will forward all information regarding this to Toys "R" Us, Inc.'s attention." Any additional information or feedback can be sent to tru@schoneal.com, or you can visit http://www.rru.com/tru/ for the latest information regarding this story.