South Park’s 25th Anniversary

This year will mark Comedy Central’s South Park’s 25th anniversary. It is the longest running show in a Colorado setting. The show first aired on August 13 th , 1997 and, since its inception, has sought to push the boundaries of what is permissible on television with its parodies and satire. Due to South Park’s envelope-pushing comedy, the show has faced litigation and legal discussions. Below are three articles discussing South Park and the law:

  • Kristen Chiger, South Park & the Law (October 01, 2012). Available at: https://discovery.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=e29dd0d9-a6ab-3612-a7...
    • This article examines the case Brownmark Films, LLC v. Comedy Partners, an intellectual property litigation case in which the South Park creators were sued for copyright infringement of the song “What What (In the Butt).” Despite copyright infringement concerns, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin granted South Park’s motion to dismiss the case prior to the discovery phase.

 

  • South Park: ‘Religious Defamation’, Freedom of Expression & Human Rights (April 24, 2010). Available at: https://humanrightsinireland.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/south-park-religio...
    • This article looks at the controversial South Park episodes Cartoon Wars Part I and Part II, which depicted the Prophet Mohammed, and considers how to protect Muslim’s freedom of religion and prevent hate speech as well as protect cartoonist’s freedom of speech and expression.

 

  • Jacob Gershman, Fact-Checking Cartman's Claims about the Redskins Trademark (September 26, 2014). Available at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-LB-49358
    • This article fact checks an episode of South Park where the character Cartman uses the Washington R*dskins football team logo, claiming that now the trademark has been cancelled he can use it. Unfortunately for Cartman, the cancellation of the trademark is currently under appeal and so therefore active and the team retains rights to it. However, South Park’s use of the logo in a television episode is unlikely to be considered infringement but parody.