Zillow backs off threat to sue McMansion Hell after compromise

[n2doc]

One of the house photos annotated on the website McMansionHell.com. (Courtesy of Kate Wagner)



After being down for days, the blog was back up Thursday, complete with old posts featuring Zillow photos.

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By Mike Rosenberg


Zillow has backed off its threat to sue the tiny but popular McMansion Hell blog, after a few days of backlash from the public against the Seattle real-estate giant and a compromise between the two websites.

Zillow had sent the blog’s founder, 23-year-old master’s student Kate Wagner, a cease-and-desist letter that Wagner posted online Monday. It said her McMansionHell.com site — which uses Zillow photos to make fun of ugly-looking houses — was in violation of Zillow’s terms of service and warned her that she may be violating various state and federal laws.

Since then, commenters online have come in droves to the blogger’s defense, calling it an overreach by Zillow, and someone plastered “MCMANSION HELL FOREVER” posters all over the outside of Zillow’s downtown Seattle headquarters. Wagner received legal advice from several attorneys and retained the Electronic Frontier Foundation for representation, pro bono.

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http://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/zillow-backs-off-threat-to-sue-mcmansion-hell-after-compromise/

[klook]

1. Great work by the EFF. McMansion Hell is a fave of mine

Hilarious site! A couple of examples:





Kate has a TED Talk, too:

[ProudLib72]

2. Took me a minute to get the gf reference on the second one

Must belong to the CEO of Viagra.

[localroger]

10. Well the CEO of Pfizer maybe (they make Viagra)

Also, the Louisiana State Capitol building built in 1932 is an even bigger erection.

[ProudLib72]

16. Yes, Pfizer

Would probably like to live in the Washington Monument if he could.

[progressoid]

3. Ha!

I hate McMansions. I'd rather live in a van.

[Hekate]

4. KnR

[TheBlackAdder]

5. Those posts are funny! This is why I am an EFF supporter.

[aikoaiko]

6. Do I understand correctly, that McMansionHell acquiesced and won't use Zillow photos going forward?

Not much of a compromise.

[canetoad]

7. Speaking of grotesque residences

Came across this one recently:
https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2017/07/05/champ-dor-reportedly-biggest-house-texas-sold-auction


?w=724&h=500&auto=format&q=60&fit=clip
?w=724&h=500&auto=format&q=60&fit=clip
?w=724&h=500&auto=format&q=60&fit=clip

[Chellee]

17. Oh. My. God.

That is the most ridiculously over the top thing I have ever seen. The video house tour is something else. A hair salon, the closet styled after Coco Chanel's shop, the mirror in the family room is an exact replica of Marie Antoinette's at Versailles, and on and on and on.



Although, if I happened to have $27,000 just burning a whole in my pocket, I wouldn't mind that kitchen range. Considering I paid less than half that for my car, I'm probably not going to get it.

That was fun though, thanks!

[Warpy]

18. Well, I think this thing qualifies as a real mansion

even if it is constructed according to Texas Tacky. The differences between a real mansion and a McMansion are things like number of guest bedrooms as well as live-in staff facilities. The real thing operates much as a private hotel for corporate guests who need never venture off the grounds for anything, their every whim satisfied by the amenities. The McMansion might sport the indoor swimming pool, the billiard room, and the indoor theater, but it's woefully short of bedrooms, extending only to a couple of overpaid yuppies and their one or two rug rats.

However, as this heap of overdone masonry shows, they can be equally ugly.

[onethatcares]

21. the person that owns this,

do they support single payer healthcare and a livable wage?


fucking place looks like a stand alone movie theater.

Let's run him for president,

[drmeow]

8. My in-laws

retired to a custom built McMansion in a master planned golf community in Hilton Head - the community building requirement was that the house could not be smaller than 3000 sq ft! Their house is the smallest in the community. They consider it a wonderful piece of wealth which they will pass on to their kids. I consider it almost a blessing that it might be underwater by the time we inherit it (although it might be beach front property instead, albeit only reachable from the mainland by boat)!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. Hmm, a little bit of bad feng shui here and there. . . . nt

[louis-t]

11. Zillow is currently trying to take over the Real Estate industry.

They want to control all of the leads, they want Realtors to pay them to get leads on their own listings. Fuck Zillow.

[bucolic_frolic]

12. Rampant materialism

Can you imagine being stuck with the cost of replacing the roof?

[smirkymonkey]

13. This is hilarious!

[WinkyDink]

14. The commenter seems to have myopic taste. Probably loves "Tiny Houses."

[WinkyDink]

15. I guess this person would have a conniption fit if she ever visited this one:

[drmeow]

19. Based on her blog and background

she would recognize that as a palace rather than a McMansion and point out the architectural features which are done right .

[WinkyDink]

20. Come on; she had a problem with beige carpet in a bedroom, for Pete's sake. She takes issue with

what she perceives as "cheap" and she takes issue with what she perceives as too expensive. She seems to comment just to comment.

[drmeow]

22. Did you look at her

comparisons of Mansions vs McMansions? A historic palace is a different creature entirely than what she's talking about. If you look at the criteria she uses, Versailles does not violate the architectural rules and the materials may be gaudy but they are not cheap.