Press Release
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, the comics industry’s voice for free speech advocacy, is leading a coalition protesting the removal of a cartoon satirizing President Donald Trump by Pulitzer Prize–winning editorial cartoonist Nick Anderson from the online marketplace Redbubble. The cartoon constitutes speech protected by the First Amendment, and its removal misuses mechanisms designed to protect intellectual property as a means to suppress protected speech.
On May 18, the Daily Kos reported that Redbubble removed products featuring Anderson’s cartoon “The Trump Cult,” based on meritless allegations of trademark infringement from Donald J. Trump for President, Inc, citing the use of characters wearing MAGA hats. The Trump Campaign has misused Redbubble’s reporting mechanism to suppress political expression in the form of parody, critique, and satire protected by the First Amendment.
CBLDF and coalition partners Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, American Library Association, Office For Intellectual Freedom, The Authors Guild, Freedom to Read Foundation, National Coalition Against Censorship, and PEN America have issued a letter calling upon Redbubble to reinstate Mr. Anderson’s product listings to affirm its commitment to its sellers’ — and its own — First Amendment rights.
“Political campaigns have no business suppressing free expression, and that’s precisely what’s happening here,” says CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein. “The President’s re-election campaign is out of bounds by misusing tools designed to protect intellectual property rights as a means for censoring legitimate political comment. The First Amendment protects Mr. Anderson, Redbubble, and any other merchant providing a platform to publish parody, critique and satire of public officials. We strongly urge Redbubble to reinstate Mr. Anderson’s work.”
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund provides legal and educational resources to protect the First Amendment rights of the comics field and serve its community. Throughout the Covid crisis, CBLDF has developed essential resources to help comics businesses and educators, including government aid analysis, retailer trainings, and remote learning tools. The organization’s resources support the understanding and protection of First Amendment rights, including free legal aid and advice on issues related to the comics medium and an ongoing education program that includes publications, webinars, and the League of Graphic Novel Educators, a resource designed to support the use of comics in the classroom. To learn more about CBLDF, please visit www.cbldf.org.