Some Jerks (Probably The NFL) Got A Hilarious Romance Novel Parody Removed From Amazon Over IP

from the gronk-gronk-gronk dept

I'm a big fan of fan fiction for several reasons. I think it's awesome how a community can be so devoted to a particular something as to want to author their own creations around that something. I think it's cool when the original creators manage to use fan fiction as a mode to interact with their fans. Perhaps most of all, I love how fan fiction allows creative people to get silly on the subject of their work with parody and humor. For these reasons and more, I was particularly pleased when Amazon announced that they wanted to allow sales of this kind of work.

I'm less pleased to find that there are many ways in which those works can be taken down. See, Lacey Noonan is an author who goes out of her way to create parody novellas making fun of the romance genre. She recently released her short book about a housewife wanting to have sex with an NFL player.


Yes, the story quite prominently features Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots tight end, and general all-around party boy. You know, this friggin' guy.


Yo soy fiesta. Yo soy fiesta. I am party. That's as Gronkowski as it gets. And it makes him a great subject for a laughable romance novella parody. Unfortunately, A Gronking To Remember has been removed from the Amazon store. Why? You see that small patch on Gronk's sleeve on the cover of the book that reads "MHK"? It's a tribute patch for the wife of the Patriot's owner and it appears to be the reason the book was taken down.

We're told the online retailer pulled the book because someone — perhaps the Patriots or the National Football League — objected to the book jacket, specifically the photo of Gronkowski that features the "MHK" patch on his uniform. (The team began wearing the patch in 2011 after the death Myra Kraft, wife of Patriots owner Robert Kraft.) In an e-mail, author Lacey Noonan told us she hadn't anticipated any problem with the Gronk picture.

"I didn't understand at the outset that Robert Kraft wouldn't want Myra Kraft and her philanthropical works associated with this," Noonan said in the e-mail. "Total newbie ignorance on my part. I believe — and hope — that's the only problem anyone has with the book since it is such obvious satire and parody."
If you look at the cover with an eye towards intellectual property concerns, you can clearly see how the team or the NFL might have concerns over the team's uniform appearing on the jacket, though it also seems clear that measures were taken to minimize how much the team logo and the uniform appears at all. But for this to be over the patch? And for that patch to result in the takedown of a hilarious piece of parody? It seems that someone needs to explain what rights exist for whom on a patch that consists of three letters, because we can't lose this literary treasure to that.

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Filed Under: copyright, ebooks, fan fiction, lacey noonan, rob gronkowski, takedown, trademark
Companies: nfl


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  • icon
    Manabi (profile), 9 Jan 2015 @ 8:01pm

    "I didn't understand at the outset that Robert Kraft wouldn't want Myra Kraft and her philanthropical works associated with this," Noonan said in the e-mail.
    But they're apparently A-OK with her being associated with IP dickery? Cause that's coming off far, far worse than any possible association to the book does.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    StrongStyleFiction, 9 Jan 2015 @ 8:57pm

    I laughed at the title. That is great.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2015 @ 9:47pm

    I can just imagine the conversation that must have taken place at some point:

    Robert Kraft: My players want to wear patches as a memorial to Myra.

    Lawyer: Doable. Just sign this form granting IP ownership of "remembering your dead wife" to the NFL.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2015 @ 5:19am

    Quick! Somebody light the Popehat Signal!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    orbitalinsertion (profile), 10 Jan 2015 @ 11:13am

    If the use of the photograph itself isn't infringing, what possible claim is there?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Ninja (profile), 12 Jan 2015 @ 3:23am

      Re:

      People might be confused and led to believe the NFL (or the team) are actually ridden with adulterous romance. Can't have it, no?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Shel10 (profile), 10 Jan 2015 @ 1:59pm

    Just Photoshop over the MHK initials and patch.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Lawrence D’Oliveiro, 11 Jan 2015 @ 12:05am

      Re: Just (INFRINGING USE OF TRADEMARK REMOVED) over the MHK initials and patch.

      Up against the wall, citizen!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      John Fenderson (profile), 12 Jan 2015 @ 10:06am

      Re:

      Or even better, photoshop the word "sucks" below the MHK, thus turning it into protected political commentary.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    ysth (profile), 11 Jan 2015 @ 1:58pm

    It seems to be available on Amazon now, currently Best Sellers Rank #120 in Books.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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