If you live in Toronto and are an online type you would have had to be blind, deaf and totally wrapped up in your own crap to have missed the hubbub about the TTC. It all began when our very own RobotJohnny, in response to some of the cool subway anagram mashups posted on BoingBoing, delighted us with his version of the TTC subway map, anagram style.

Then the fit really hit the shan.

TTC sent RobotJohnny a cease and desist, because their lawyers have just been dying for the TTC to become endearing enough to its riders that its trademarks might be threatened. In short order the original subway anagram map was replaced with something less lose-my-legal-shorts-y. There was a huge response: from Toronto blogs [1, 2, 3], and also from the "mainstream" press [1, 2, 3].

But it doesn't stop there, thank goodness, because the dude behind the TTC Rider Efficiency Guide (no stranger to legal shenanigans with the TTC himself) has reposted the original map and made the lovely button you see in this post, all in an effort to wake the TTC up and help them to smell the coffee of the 21st century.

I mean honestly. Has no one at the TTC heard of cult branding? Good lord. If you have people enthusiastic enough about your brand to go out and sell it on their own time, YOU HELP THEM, not sue them.

Wake up, TTC. Make "The Better Way" more than just a tagline - make it your mantra. Be smarter than this.

Update, March 12: The Star has a piece covering some of the brouhaha and also looks a bit deeper into why the TTC are such kneejerk reactionaries - er, that is, dedicated to their "service".

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