eBay wrote me back about John Steins' "Most Wanted" deck of cards.

[Fridays Child]

Actually, it took two letters. Their response to my first complaint was a stock letter saying that they wouldn't discuss other people's accounts with me but that their policy also protects my privacy.

So, I wrote them a second letter and said I wanted neither information from someone else's account nor assurances about my own. Rather, I wanted them to stop meddling with the rights of others to express their political views.

And this is how they responded:

Hello Mary,

Thank you for writing eBay. I assure you that this is a misunderstanding and that the listing was not removed because it went against anyone's political views.

ebay is a community of diverse, international groups of users with varied backgrounds and beliefs and consequently many things are allowed to be sold even though they may offend someone. The listing in question was not removed because it offended someone, nor was it removed out of political bias by one of eBay's employees, but was removed because it violated eBay policy. Please keep in mind that the actions taken on a specific listing are confidential and between eBay and the seller. We are not able to keep you abreast of any developments for privacy reasons, but we assure you that we thoroughly examine the information you provide.

Please be assured that we are actively working to remove all listings that violate policy and educate eBay sellers. If you would like to report items that violate this policy to us please familiarize yourself with the policy page, http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/signatures.html and use the "report listing violations" link located at the bottom of the page. We will evaluate the listings and take appropriate action.

We appreciate your understanding in this issue and wish you a continued successful relationship with us. Again, I emphasize that this listing was not removed out of any political bias on eBay's part, but because it violated policy.

Regards,

Jack
eBay Community Watch

The page that Jack linked me to is only about prohibited faces, names, and signatures. Is he trying to tell me that, while he can't give specifics about John Steins' violation, it had something to do with a trademarked name, face, or signature?

Has Satan McGameBoy copyrighted his beady-eyed, lizard-lipped visage?