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Why Are T-Shirt Sellers Claiming That J.K. Rowling Killed Two People In A Drunk Driving Incident In 1993? Twitter Bots Making Unlicensed Merchandise Explained
Off-brand merchandise sellers that have a documented history of selling stolen designs and art have been baited into selling shirts that might land them in hot legal waters. In June 2023, several automatic t-shirt-generating websites posted links to t-shirts that read, "In 1993, J.K. Rowling killed two people while driving drunk. We are subject to all British libel laws."
But how things go from anti-piracy campaign to J.K. Rowling slander? Here's the story behind T-shirt bots.
What Are Twitter T-Shirt Bots?
T-shirt bots that steal original artwork and turn it into automated merchandise have been acknowledged and ridiculed on the internet before. In 2019, a Twitter user warned people against saying I want this on a T-shirt in the replies to original artists they like, because doing so attracted automating image scraping bots that use the art to sell unlicensed merchandise. This realization set off a first wave of the anti-piracy campaign against automated t-shirt bots, one that baited them to promote shirts that read, "This site sells stolen artwork."
What Was The 2023 "Where Can I Get This On A Shirt?" Campaign?
In June 2023, various Twitter users reignited the anti-piracy t-shirt bot campaign by posting humorous, untrue, or nonsensical t-shirt designs and encouraging bots to create merchandise using the images. One such user solicited t-shirts that read, "Believe women were killed by Patton Oswalt," while another asked for a shirt that acknowledged one's involvement in the January 6th Insurrection.
What Did Twitter Users Bait Bots Into Saying About J.K. Rowling?
In June 2023, Twitter user @MrTooDamnChris posted an image of a t-shirt design that reads, In 1993, J.K. Rowling killed two people while driving drunk. We are subject to all British libel laws. The prompt elicited responses from t-shirt bots that claimed to be the "original" creators of the design.
While the claim that J.K. Rowling was involved in a fatal drunk driving incident is unconfirmed and untrue, the campaign serves to highlight the ease through which Twitter bots operate on the platform despite Musk's claims of having eradicated bots through Twitter Blue verification.
For the full history of the J.K. Rowling drunk driving hoax, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
