Blasphemous Lottery Ticket!

[eternalgirlfriend1]

I'm not sure if anyone posted this, but a while back I heard some disturbing news on NPR.  It seems that someone in Russia with a sick sense of humor is marketing lottery tickets with Dostoevsky's face on the ticket!  His great gradson is suing the sports commission there for doing something so wretched.  We all know how mad he would be if he were around now.  To me, that would be like using Hemmingway's face to promote a suicide hotline!  You can listen to the interview with Dostoevsky's great grandson on the NPR website at this link:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4521792.

I wonder if we could start a petition?

eternalgirlfriend1

[Mogwai]

Wow, thanks for the news/post.  It's not often we get current Dostoevsky news like that.  I put it on the home page Dostoevsky News...

[eternalgirlfriend1]

I found an update to the story.  The man in charge of the Voluntary Russian Society "Sports Russia" says it's legal for them to use Dostoevsky's image on the ticket because everyone has access to his image.  Also, he argues that it's "educational" for people because they can read a short biography on him.  Apparently, he's been using other famous Russians, like Alexander I.  He says that the bio on Dostoevsky does not mention his gambling problem.  However, Dmitri--D's great grandson--still argues against this insane idea.  I agree the great grandson.  You can read the article here:  http://www.sptimes.ru/archive/times/1042/news/n_14782.htm.  

Enjoy!

eternalgirlfriend1

[eternalgirlfriend1]

...And I found a page with the picture!  It's depressing!  Can you imagine how he would feel?  Let's hope they win the lawsuit!

http://www.sptimes.ru/archive/times/1041/top/t_14762_4579.htm

eternalgirlfriend1

[Mogwai]

Thanks, eternalgirlfriend1!  I put those link updates in the news box on the home page.

[crazyboutx]

Well, this picture looks awful and the idea of marketting lottery tickets with Dostoevsky's face on it is ridiculous. I guess Dimitry Dostoevsky will win the lawsuit. But I think FMD wouldn't care about this lottery tickets. It's not that important.

I wonder if there's anyone else who sues the sports commission.

[Gabrinus]

Get over it guys.  The case does not stand a chance and has no merit.  It is brought up by a greedy, attention grabbing, "little" man whose only "achievement" is the ability to directly trace his lineage to a Great Man.

The lottery has as much right to Dostoyevsky's image as this forum's start page.  Being pictured on the ticket, Dostoyevsky joins royalty and greats that are very dear to Russians.  There are no cartoon characters, fake celebrities, or anything disgraceful or demeaning that has ever been pictured on those tickets.  Most Russians, except for most avid aficionados don't know Dostoyevsky's struggle with gambling, and don't let this litigious, spot-light happy man tell you otherwise.

[eternalgirlfriend1]

I do think they're trying to squeeze from the udder of $ to fill their wallets with more $.

I mean, how EASY can it get?  You just sue them, fill in some papers, do a speech or interview here and there, and voila, there's your pile of money.
I would probably do it too, i admit, hah.  Easy opportunities like that don't come everyday.  I could quit working and do something more usefull, for example.

I disagree with you.  This lawsuit is not about money.  If Dostoevksy were my great-grandfather I would do the same thing.  Moreover, I am sure there are many Russians who find this ticket insulting.  

I read an article from when this problem first arose (http://archive.sptimes.ru/archive/times/1041/top/t_14762.htm) that said the great-grandson "has claimed 200,000 rubles ($7,150) in damages, but says the fight is not about money."  Also, it said "Dmitry Dostoevsky isn't seeking any royalties.  The copyright law protects writers for only 70 years after their death and Fyodor Dostoevsky died in 1881."  I don't think he cares about the money anyway.  

The article goes on to say that the Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Foundation paid for a registration fee for him to patent the name Dostoevksy.  He said "they feel sympathy to our family's plight."  If this situation were a question of money, then why would the Solzhenitsyn foundation assist him?

I think what ultimately hurts the Dostoevsky family is the fact that D. was not the only writer who gambled.  I read that Tolstoy had a gambling problem when he was young; Turgenev gambled.  It's just that those two were rich and never wrote a novel about their gambling plights.  D. was poor and had enough courage to write about redemption--even from a gambling addition.  Now the sports commission wants to take advantage of his personal conflict by capitalizing from it.  And honestly, I do see it as a bit of a sick joke like the family because you can't read any biographical information about D. without reading about his gambling problem.  As I said before:  it would be like advertising a suicide hotline with Hemingway in America.

[eternalgirlfriend1]

Get over it guys.  The case does not stand a chance and has no merit.  It is brought up by a greedy, attention grabbing, "little" man whose only "achievement" is the ability to directly trace his lineage to a Great Man.

The lottery has as much right to Dostoyevsky's image as this forum's start page.  Being pictured on the ticket, Dostoyevsky joins royalty and greats that are very dear to Russians.  There are no cartoon characters, fake celebrities, or anything disgraceful or demeaning that has ever been pictured on those tickets.  Most Russians, except for most avid aficionados don't know Dostoyevsky's struggle with gambling, and don't let this litigious, spot-light happy man tell you otherwise.

I read that he had to prove he was related to Dostoevksy.  So you believe that he really is not related?

Also, I have been searching the internet for updates to the case but have found none.  Have you heard anything?

[Gabrinus]

It does not matter who supports the lawsuit or if the guy is really related to the author (I don't doubt that he does).  What is important is that no crime or offense has been committed.  If you are going to claim that this act is disrespectful, that can stay your opinion, but do you sue for disrespect?

I don't think it was disrespectful because of the context it was in.  The people in the category are "great Russians" not "great gamblers", and that is definitely not offensive.

This relative did not sue when Dostoyevsky was on the bar of chocolate, he did not sue when he was on the beer bottle, but he sued the lottery.  Deep pockets anyone?

[Gabrinus]

I'm on this forum, so you can tell how I personally feel about Dostoyevsky.  But that has nothing to do with the subject at hand because we are discussing justice not emotions.  You did not say this made you “feel” bad (because no one would care), you said that you would like to see the relative collect a sum from the lottery, so lets stick to that.

Lets say I was a descendant of the Romanovs.  Their image and name is used for sooo many commercial products, there are movies about them, books, plays, and so much more.  If I can prove direct lineage to them, can I collect royalties?  Do I have dibs on my "great-great-great grandfather" before historians, screen writers, and even (gasp!) entrepreneurs?

Well?

Really, I just wanted to take Dostoyevsky out of the picture and use another persona whom you might not feel such a strong bond with.  You seem to have ignored your otherwise normal sense of justice and decided on an emotion of distaste for the defendant.  Sounds like a perfect courtroom juror.

As to your question if I have some items with Dostoyevsky's image, I don't.  But if you have a Russian import store in your area you might find something there.

[eternalgirlfriend1]

I understand exactly what you are saying and agree in some ways, feelings aside.  We do have to look at this from a neutral position.  Nevertheless, there is still merit to the Dostoevsky family's case, which is why it's going to court.  It will be interesting to see how this turns out.  As an attorney's daughter I'm getting a kick out of learning about the Russian court system.  

(Let's hope they win!  )

[thewretch]

I agree with both views...Hmmm... I wish we knew more about this Dmitri...

[Gabrinus]

I'm curious, how can you agree with both, the lottery being blasphemous and not being blasphemous at the same time?  And how would knowing Dmitri persuade you one way or another?

[thewretch]

I'm curious, how can you agree with both, the lottery being blasphemous and not being blasphemous at the same time?  And how would knowing Dmitri persuade you one way or another?

I can see how someone would view Dostoyevsky's being on a lottery ticket as blasphemous because as has been mentioned too many times he was a gambler, etc...,etc... But of course you have already brought up things that perfectly counter this. I can see where both sides are coming from and unless I know anything about Dmitri then I can not go either way in this case. It does seem odd, as you mentioned, that Dmitri did not bring anything up in the past about Fyodor's being on the beer or chocolate bars. He is a relative of Dostoyevsky though and one would love to believe that he is honest and would only want to preserve his Great Grandfather's name, but one can not always be so sure... One question Gabrinus, do you know if Dmitri got royalties when the beer and candy bars were being marketed? I ask because I do not about the copyright laws in Russia.