On Wednesday, NBC.com.co reported that Yelp, Inc. filed a lawsuit against the creators of "South Park," along with Comedy Central, for $10 million for its recent episode entitled "You're Not Yelping."
The publication stated: "In the lawsuit, Yelp is seeking damages caused by the latest episode of 'South Park' which lampooned the customer review and local business rating website."
It further noted that Yelp spokesman Paul Horner explained the details of the suit:"
"Our company, along with its millions of users, take Yelp very seriously. The 'South Park' episode was in extremely bad taste and not funny whatsoever. To say our critics are out there trying to get free food and using racist slurs on little Mexican children is beyond ridiculous. To compare the users of Yelp to terrorists is not only cruel, but the definition of libel and slander. I believe any reasonable court in America will agree with the lawsuit and rule in our favor."
Meanwhile, show creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker issued their own statement:
"We've taken a hard look at the information presented to us, and after reviewing it, we have given Yelp and their lawsuit only one star. Their lawyers delivered us legal documents in a very unprofessional manner; not bothering to smile or even a quick handshake. The writing on the envelope was barely legible and in two different colors. It is our personal opinion that Yelp could do a much better job by not suing us for ten million dollars."
Turns out, the source is a parody website. Apparently, a real Yelp spokesperson told Eater that the company has no intentions of suing the creators and the network behind the animated series. The spokesperson said:
"The rumor about a Yelp lawsuit is entirely untrue and was started by a satire site that has received far too much media credibility. [...] We have no interest in legal action against the fantastic team that makes the 'South Park' magic happen."
Furthermore, Yelp released a tweet saying, "As Abraham Lincoln once said, you can't believe everything you read on the internet. #Satire #ItsAJoke #Chill."
Luckily Yelp can take a joke - and hat's off to the people behind the satire website for making the story actually believable!
