Ok ok – just one tiny micro-rant before I go away for my little holiday in a few hours . . . just to preserve and immortalise this little bit of glorious nonsense – nope, I cannot resist this one.
Apparently I must have slept extra-long last night and it is now April. April 1st, to be precise. Hmm – odd though. My computer says it is still December. Perhaps the Russians have April 1st in December? Anyone know? Because apparently a Russian businessman (Oleg Teterin, described as an Entrepreneur – you’re telling me!) has trademarked ;-)! Yes – that’s the classic wink emote I am writing there.
;-)
;-)
;-)
:-o
To elaborate: “Legal use will be possible after buying an annual licence from us.” Right . . . .
“It won’t cost that much – tens of thousands of dollars.” Hey – I’m QUOTING this – don’t look at me like that!!!!
:-S
:-S
:-S
:-S
No no, you are reading it wrong. Look closer and read it again. “Trademark . . . . was . . . granted . . .” That means they actually gave him the thing! Oh boy – for the first time I am really REALLY scared about the state of Russia’s Nuclear weapons! No no no – :-S This HAS to be April? My computer’s battery must have died while I was asleep, resetting the date and time . . . it must have. Frost on the ground outside – must be a cold snap. Those spring onions I bought before I slept still fresh? Must have been a REAL cold snap. Hey – WHAT DATE IS IT???? Will someone please tell me?
:-O
:-O
:-O
Oh gawd – I think I used that symbol in the chatroom scenes in my story The Magpies. Did I? If so I am in big trouble! Hey – Tartarus Press? Perhaps you should recall all the copies of Strange Tales 2 so I can change that ;-) to a :-) – or a :-p or a :-D . . . or maybe a :-S Wouldn’t want to end up extradited to Russia over a smiley, would we?
Or maybe not. “He also said since other similar emoticons – :-) or ;) or :) – resemble the one he has trademarked, use of those symbols could also fall under his ownership.”
Maybe this chap has the right idea though – perhaps I will take a trademark out on “Hi” – that’s how I always greet people, after all. Or perhaps I could catch “Whatever” and “That’s about the size of it” while I am about it. Has anyone bagged “Blimy” or “Hells Bells” yet? Or how about trademarking the exclamation mark?! Yes – that’s the one! Blimy – there’s a FORTUNE to be made here! That’s about the size of it, I think!
Heheeeee! Or maybe not.
“The president of Russian social networking site odnoklassniki.ru, Nikita Sherman said: ‘You’re not likely to find any retards in Russia who’ll pay […] for the use of emoticons’.”
I think that is the first time I have ever seen the BBC quote the word ‘Retard’ . . .
;-)
