I really does seem like the admin of FunnyJunk is doing everything possibly (albeit unintentionally) to goad Inman into suing the site. He's complying in the most asinine ways (for example, removing all "The Oatmeal" comics... but only the ones with attribution).
I'd be surprised if he couldn't find an attorney to take it on contingency. The site's been around for a decade and scores OK on traffic rank; Ben Huh was able to get ~$30m for the cheezburger/lolcats operation so it's probably worth something...and that would be discoverable.
Amusingly enough, funnyjunk.com has a very assertive list of terms and conditions, and looks ready to stoutly defend its own brand against infringement.
My reaction as well. I find myself in the unfamiliar situation of wishing I could help. And all I can think to do is upvote every comment on this page that mentions the f__ search-replace. That last bit is the most poignant part of the story. The operators of that site should go to hell (even though I don't believe in it).
