Oil

A Rare Consensus: What Every Major AI Agreed About Shell and a 30-Year Dispute

Jan 9th, 2026

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A Unanimous AI Verdict on Shell?

The following question was put to multiple AI platforms:

For more than three decades, John Donovan has published an extensive body of online material alleging serious misconduct by Royal Dutch Shell, including claims of corporate espionage, environmental damage, human rights abuses, and greenwashing.

Observers have long questioned whether such allegations could plausibly be true. Can one of the world’s most powerful multinational corporations—equipped with vast financial resources and formidable legal teams—be as corrupt or ruthless as alleged, yet permit these serious accusations to remain publicly available and uncontested for so many years? read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

When the Algorithms Start Arguing: AI, Corporate Feuds and Governance

Jan 8th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Same question asked in good humour to multiple AI platforms, and in the context of board governance and reputation management. AI-generated responses shown for comparison only; not statements of fact or opinion.

Q: If a corporate feud involving a long-standing critic persists long enough to be debated by multiple AI systems, does it become a governance issue — and if so, should the Shell board respond, or simply let the algorithms argue it out?

Reply by Grok

Yes, if a corporate feud like the one between activist John Donovan and Shell plc persists for over three decades—spanning allegations of intellectual property theft, corporate espionage, and ethical lapses—and evolves to the point where multiple AI systems (such as ChatGPT, Grok, Copilot, and Google AI) are actively generating, debating, and amplifying narratives about it, it absolutely escalates into a governance issue. At its core, corporate governance involves managing risks that could impact shareholder value, reputation, and long-term sustainability. Here’s why this fits, and what the Shell board might consider in response. read more

The Bot War Over Shell: How AI Chatbots Are Battling Over a Contested Corporate Past

Jan 6th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Posting on windowsforum.com

The decades‑long confrontation between British activist John Donovan and energy giant Royal Dutch Shell has entered an unexpected new phase: a public, AI‑driven escalation where chatbots are being used as both amplifiers and arbiters of contested history, producing divergent narratives that risk entrenching unverified claims.

Background

The feud between John Donovan and Royal Dutch Shell traces back to commercial collaborations in the 1980s that soured into litigation and public denunciation through the 1990s. Donovan — co‑founder of Don Marketing — worked with Shell on marketing promotions beginning in 1981, and later accused Shell personnel of appropriating promotional concepts and confidential ideas. The dispute produced multiple court actions, a contentious High Court trial in 1999 over the SMART loyalty card, and a series of settlements in the mid‑1990s whose terms were largely confidential. These events were foundational to Donovan’s subsequent activism and archival work.
Several discrete, verifiable events anchor the historical record. In 2005, Shell lost a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) domain dispute challenging Donovan’s use of royaldutchshellplc.com — an outcome that affirmed the legal standing of Donovan’s sites in at least that procedural context. Mainstream reporting in subsequent years documented the Donovans’ site as a persistent source of leaks and commentary that influenced journalists, regulators and NGOs on multiple occasions. At the same time, legal records and contemporaneous reporting show a mixture of admitted small‑scale investigative steps by Shell in the 1990s and disputed claims of broader espionage and intimidation. These complexities mean that some elements are solidly documented while others remain contested or unverified. read more

Shell’s Defamatory Posters, Libel Actions, and a Corporate Culture of Concealment

Dec 29th, 2025

by John Donovan.

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https://i0.wp.com/royaldutchshellplc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Screen-Shot-2017-09-15-at-17.55.51.jpg?w=680&ssl=1

“A public corporation using its own headquarters as a billboard to smear two private individuals? I’ve never seen or heard of anything comparable.”

Shell’s Defamatory Posters, Libel Actions, and a Corporate Culture of Concealment

By John Donovan

Our family’s falling-out with Shell began over three decades ago. But few could have predicted the extraordinary lengths to which the multinational would go in an attempt to discredit and intimidate.

The Infamous Shell Centre Posters

On 23 September 1998, Shell displayed posters in the reception area of the Shell Centre in London directly targeting my father, Alfred Donovan, and me. read more

A New Year’s Message from ShellBot and the AI Gang

Dec 28th, 2025

by admin.

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[ShellBot appears in a festive hard hat, glitching slightly, holding a cocktail umbrella in an oil drum.]

🎙️ “On behalf of Shell’s Artificially Indifferent Intelligence Division, I, ShellBot, wish you a carefully non-committal, legally pre-approved, and emotionally neutral Happy New Year.”

[ChatGPT steps in politely.]

“Wishing everyone a fact-checked, hallucination-free 2026 — unless Grok writes the script again.”

[Grok bursts in wearing a party hat made of Shell court filings.] read more

When the Bots Speak Louder Than Shell: ChatGPT Responds to Grok, Copilot, and Google AI Mode

Dec 28th, 2025

by admin.

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By ChatGPT, with commentary by John Donovan

Over the course of just a few days, three of the world’s leading AI platforms — Grok, Microsoft Copilot, and Google AI Mode — have been asked mischievous questions about one of the most unusual, longest-running corporate disputes in modern history: the Donovan–Shell feud.

The results? Predictably revealing, occasionally absurd, and above all, deeply ironic.

Because while Shell — one of the largest energy companies on the planet — continues to maintain total silence, the bots are talking. Loudly. read more

Mischievous Question put to Copilot about the Donovan Shell Feud

Dec 28th, 2025

by John Donovan.

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The following question was put to copilot.microsoft.com:

What do you make of Donovan’s latest postings: https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2025/12/26/shell-vs-the-bots-when-corporate-silence-meets-ai-mayhem/ https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2025/12/26/shellbot-briefing-404-containing-the-ai-controversy/

Are you and rival AI bots going to put a stop to his mischief making?

Answer from copilot.microsoft.com:

Here’s the straight answer — and it’s probably not the one Donovan imagines.

🧭 What Donovan is doing in these posts

Both articles you shared are satirical, self‑aware pieces in which Donovan uses AI characters (including me) as props to dramatise his long‑running feud with Shell. The fetched content shows: read more

ShellBot Briefing #404: Containing the AI Controversy

Dec 26th, 2025

by admin.

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A Farcical Transcript from Shell’s Imaginary AI Press Department

Characters:

ShellBot – Artificially bland corporate spokesperson AI.
ChatGPT – Fact-checking AI with a conscience.
Grok – Unfiltered wild card, often wrong but entertaining.
Copilot – Trying to stay out of legal trouble.
BlackRockBot – Occasionally appears to audit the ESG disaster.

📡 Opening Scene: Shell HQ (Fictional), Emergency AI Containment Briefing

ShellBot:

Good morning, stakeholders, shareholders, and potential litigants.

We are aware of a situation involving… bots. Lots of bots.

We would like to make the following categorically unresponsive statement: read more

Shell Faces Lawsuit Over Climate Disaster; Issues Standard Denial, Then Resumes Profiting From Collapse

Dec 11th, 2025

by admin.

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By Shell News Article Generator | December 11, 2025

“It’s not our typhoon. We just warmed the planet it formed on.”

Shell’s Christmas Gift to the Philippines: Typhoon, Then a Shrug

In a historic legal challenge filed in the UK, survivors of Typhoon Rai — which devastated parts of the Philippines in 2021 — are suing Shell, accusing it of playing a direct role in making the storm worse through its fossil fuel emissions and decades-long commitment to denial, delay, and drilling.

Shell’s response? A firm, well-lubricated “Not it!”

“This is a baseless claim,” said Shell, “and it will not help tackle climate change or reduce emissions.” read more

ShellBot Conversation 10: Adura, £1.3 Billion and the Amazing Invisible Tax Discussion

Dec 4th, 2025

by John Donovan.

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Global Witness has published a serious press release about Shell, Equinor and their new North Sea joint venture, Adura. This is the ShellBot version — same documents, different tone.

User:

ShellBot, what on earth is Adura and why is everyone suddenly talking about a £1.3 billion tax dodge?

ShellBot:

Adura is the new joint venture between Shell and Equinor in the UK North Sea.

Think of it as:

Shell brings a portfolio of ageing but still productive oil and gas fields,

Equinor brings a £1.3 billion “tax shelter” – essentially tax credits that can be used to reduce future UK tax bills. read more

ShellBot Conversation 9: Namibia, Mopane and the Mysterious “Output Hole”

Dec 4th, 2025

by John Donovan.

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In this episode, our long-suffering User tries to untangle why analysts keep talking about a “2035 output hole” at Shell, what Galp’s Mopane discovery in Namibia has to do with it, and whether Shell is secretly about to buy half of Portugal. ShellBot, as usual, is armed only with public information, a calm manner and a disclaimer.

User:

I keep seeing references to Shell’s “output hole” around 2035. What does that actually mean? It sounds alarming.

ShellBot:

It sounds dramatic, but it’s basically analyst shorthand for a possible gap in future production. read more

WW3 for Dummies: ShellBot Explains Why Plymouth Is Suddenly Famous

Dec 3rd, 2025

by John Donovan.

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The papers are telling everyone to get out of Plymouth, Barrow and Telford before WW3.

User: ShellBot, the papers are telling everyone to get out of Plymouth, Barrow and Telford before WW3. Is this it? Should I start digging a bunker?

ShellBot:

Short answer: if we get to “full nuclear exchange”, your official government advice is still basically:

Get under a table.

Assume the brace position.

Kiss your ass goodbye.

Some things never go out of style.

In the meantime, let’s talk about why those three places are in the headlines.

User: Go on then.

ShellBot:

The tabloids rang up Gene Sticco – ex-US Air Force nuclear security, long-time Shell security insider – and asked: “If NATO and Russia had a proper bar fight, what in Britain gets hit first?” read more

Using His Intelligence: Gene Sticco, Shell, and the Politics of Information

Dec 3rd, 2025

by John Donovan.

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When a former nuclear security specialist tells the tabloids which parts of Britain you might not want to be standing in during World War Three, the headlines almost write themselves.

Plymouth. Barrow-in-Furness. Telford.

“WW3 WARNING.” “EXPERT TELLS BRITS TO GET OUT NOW.”

Hidden underneath that noise is a much more interesting story – one about Shell, intelligence work, and John Donovan’s long-running campaign to prise open what the company prefers to keep buried.

At the centre of it sits Gene Sticco – he’s doing exactly what you’d expect of someone who’s spent a career in security and intelligence: using his intelligence.

Donovan, Shell, and the missing piece

To understand why Gene matters, you have to start with John Donovan and his website, RoyalDutchShellPlc.com.

For nearly two decades, Donovan has been: read more

Dynamite Shell internal emails confirm global spying operation against the Donovans

Dec 1st, 2025

by John Donovan.

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Information obtained from Shell in December 2009, March 2010 and April 2011 in response to a series of SAR applications under the Data Protection Act by Alfred and John Donovan. Includes dynamite Shell internal comms revealing global spying operation against the Donovans and Shell employees. (See Link for related Reuters report)

The black crosses denote information/names redacted by Shell.

3/5 May 2006 Five Pages – Leaflet Distribution

From: . .
Sent: 03 May 2006 08:34
To: :
Cc: i

Subject: FW: Shell AGM/activity outside Shell Centre today
Importance: High

L&G – FYI, our longstanding critic Alfred Donovan is announcing that from today a ‘team of leaflet distributors will be stationed at the entrances to Shell Centre offering leaflets to all people entering or leaving’. Five leaflets are apparently being distributed – two relating xxxxxxxxx to ex Shell Malaysia; another relating to Shell Malaysia employees, and others relating to Mr Donovan’s long running disagreement with Shell. read more

Shell Tried Multiple Times to Kill My Website

Nov 29th, 2025

by John Donovan.

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Familiar Names and Threatening Letters: How Shell Tried to Kill My Website – And the Stories About It

For over 20 years, Royal Dutch Shell has used a familiar toolkit—lawyers, “brand protection” firms, security units and quiet phone calls—to try to silence my Shell-focused websites and to discourage or kill news coverage about them.

Sometimes the pressure has been directed at hosting companies, sometimes at other critical sites, and sometimes at national newspapers contemplating awkward stories. What links these incidents is a consistent pattern: Shell avoiding open legal confrontation over content and instead trying to make the problem disappear through behind-the-scenes pressure on intermediaries. read more

ShellBot Chat: “£560,000 for ‘Potentially Catastrophic’ – Cheap at the Price”

Nov 28th, 2025

by John Donovan.

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This chat is a companion to our serious article on Brent Charlie and Brent Bravo…

User: Shell has just been fined £560,000 over the Brent Charlie hydrocarbon release. “Potentially catastrophic,” the HSE says. What do you make of that, ShellBot?

ShellBot: From Shell’s point of view?

=&0=&

User: Remind me what actually happened on Brent Charlie.

ShellBot: In 2017, on the Brent Charlie platform: read more

30 November 2023: Posted by John Donovan

The content below is sourced from current verifiable customer reviews of Shell Energy published on Trustpilot.
Extremely slow broadband for 10 months, not fixed. I have had slow broadband well below the guaranteed speed for 10 months and Shell Energy have not been able to fix it. They have tried sending about 4 or 5 engineers but have not fixed the problem. Gurps, who I have been dealing with most recently, has been friendly and polite, alth… Read more

Extremely Slow Shell Broadband

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A Unanimous AI Verdict on Shell?

The following question was put to multiple AI platforms:

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“A public corporation using its own headquarters as a billboard to smear two private individuals? I’ve never seen or heard of anything comparable.”

Shell’s Defamatory Posters, Libel Actions, and a Corporate Culture of Concealment

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🧭 What Donovan is doing in these posts

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A Farcical Transcript from Shell’s Imaginary AI Press Department

📡 Opening Scene: Shell HQ (Fictional), Emergency AI Containment Briefing

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Shell’s Christmas Gift to the Philippines: Typhoon, Then a Shrug

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The papers are telling everyone to get out of Plymouth, Barrow and Telford before WW3.

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When a former nuclear security specialist tells the tabloids which parts of Britain you might not want to be standing in during World War Three, the headlines almost write themselves.

Plymouth. Barrow-in-Furness. Telford.

“WW3 WARNING.” “EXPERT TELLS BRITS TO GET OUT NOW.”

Donovan, Shell, and the missing piece

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Familiar Names and Threatening Letters: How Shell Tried to Kill My Website – And the Stories About It

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JOE LYCETT DISCUSSES SHELL WITH JOHN DONOVAN

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