As a result, Boing Boing issued a mocking rebuttal, using the same image again and posting the takedown notice.
The rebuttal was widely reported, including on frequently viewed websites such as and.
The circumstances surrounding Doctorow's exit from the website were unclear at the time, although Doctorow acknowledged that he remained a co-owner of Boing Boing.
Johnson left in July 2009, to be replaced by Rob Beschizza, formerly of Wired News.
A Federal Court dismissed Playboy's claims on 14 February 2018 and Playboy released a statement suggesting that it was standing down on 28 February.
It twice won the for Weblog of the Year, in 2004 and 2005.