Instagram account dedicated to masturbation suspended after alleged trademark infringement

Meta suspended an Instagram account called the “University of Melbourne Gooning Club” after the university reported it for alleged infringement of its trademark and intellectual property rights. The account used the handle “unimelbgooning,” posted satirical memes about “gooning,” and used an edited university logo.

The university said it had recently become aware of the account through routine social media monitoring and acted quickly to have it removed. It said the account raised significant concerns, that it prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of its community, and that it had no evidence the account was run by staff or students.

Reading notes

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• The account was titled “University of Melbourne Gooning Club” and used the handle “unimelbgooning”
• Its posts were satirical memes about “gooning,” a slang term for lengthy masturbation
• One deleted post, apparently filmed on campus, claimed to show the best room to “goon” in
• Another post joked about AI and said the club valued less effort because it gave members more time to “goon”
• The account ran a petition for a “gooning room” on campus
• It used an edited UoM logo that changed the university name to “The University of Melbourne Gooners”
• A Meta suspension notice said the account was taken down after a third-party report from the university’s social media email
• A user on Reddit claimed to have created the club and said a new version would be open to students across Melbourne
• The club was not affiliated with the University of Melbourne Student Union