We have received a letter from a firm called “Mindspark Interactive Network” which claims that the emoticons on this site, which we purchased in good faith, are their intellectual property. Or, it may be claiming that all “smiley characters” are their intellectual property — it is simply not clear from the letter.
Unfortunately, the letter from Mindspark’s corporate counsel failed to document which emoticons they believe are their intellectual property. In addition, I can’t evaluate their claim because the emoticons on their web site are hidden from public view. They can only be seen if you install their malware toolbar. I’m not running Microsoft Windows, so I can’t install their malware on my PC.
Until we get this sorted out, I have taken all emoticons on this site offline. I hope to be back online soon and I apologize for the downtime.