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Juan Carlos' 'Shut Up' Still Ringing

King's dis of Chavez inspires sought-after ringtones, T-shirts

By John Lister, Newser User

Posted Nov 19, 2007 3:37 PM CST

(Newser) – A diplomatic misstep by Spain's king has rung in a $2 million windfall: A ringtone of Juan Carlos asking Hugo Chavez "Why don't you shut up?" has been downloaded about 500,000 times. Many fans are student foes of the Venezuelan president. Several versions use actors to avoid copyright issues, but one lawyer says even using the expression might violate Juan Carlos' rights, the Guardian reports.

One quick-thinking Spaniard is auctioning the domain name of the phrase in Spanish—porquenotecallas.com—on eBay, and a T-shirt firm took a year's worth of orders the week after Juan Carlos made the comment at a Nov. 10 summit. YouTube parodies include a spoofed Nike commercial that ends "Juan Do It. Just Shut Up."

[Images (6)]

[Videos (2)]

In this picture released by Cumbre Iberoamericana Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, left, Spanish King Juan Carlos, center, and Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos,are seen... (Associated Press)

In this picture released by Cumbre Iberoamericana, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez asks for permission to talk during the last working session of the XVII Iberoamerican Summit in Santiago, Saturday,... (Associated Press)

In this picture released by Cumbre Iberoamericana Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, left, talks to Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, unseen, during the last working session of the... (Associated Press)

In this picture released by Cumbre Iberoamericana Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, left, Spain's Prime Minister, Spanish King Juan Carlos, center, and Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, gesture... (Associated Press)

Venezuala's President Hugo Chavez, right, talks with Spain's King Juan Carlos, center, as Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in this Oct 14, 2005 file photo. Spanish King Juan Carlos... (Associated Press)

Spain's former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar gestures during a seminar in Bogota, Monday, Nov. 12, 2007. On Saturday Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez accused Aznar of backing a 2002 coup attempt... (Associated Press)

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El Rey ficha por NIKE (cacane (YouTube))

King Juan Carlos I of Spain tells Hugo Chávez "Why don't you shut up" (¿Por qué no te callas?) and leaves the meeting of the 17th Ibero-American Summit during a speech by Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, 10 November 2007. TV3, Telenotícies vespre, 10-11-2007. (Toklaw (YouTube))

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Juan Carlos' 'Shut Up' Still Ringing