Spoof website miffs Aussie coal industry

The group had spent a fortune on a telly, print and billboard advertising campaign and launched a website extolling the virtues of mining. The campaign's slogan is "Life: brought to you by mining".

However it was more than miffed when an anti-coal group Rising Tide created a satire website laced with comments such as "Rising sea levels: brought to you by mining".

The website did look identical to the Minerals Council layout and so the outfit issued a notice under the Copyright Regulations 1969 complaining the content and layout infringed its copyright.

Rising Tide remade the website and replaced all the photos and layout, but that was not good enough for the Minerals Council. It claims its copyright was still being infringed with its references to the campaign.

The Sydney Morning Herald quotes Rising Tide member Steve Phillips who says that the Minerals Council is trying to gag the group. This time the group is going to fight it, he said. µ