Recent Threats Added to the DMLP Database

NOTE: The information and commentary contained in this database entry are based on court filings and other informational sources that may contain unproven allegations made by the parties. The truthfulness and accuracy of such information is likely to be in dispute. Information contained in this entry is current as of the last event mentioned in the "Description" section below; additional proceedings might have taken place in this matter since this event.

Explorologist v. Sapient

Date: 06/12/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (partial), Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Publication: Website
In May 200, Explorologist Limited, a company incorporated in the United Kingdown by paranormalist Uri Geller, brought a lawsuit against Brian Sapient, a member of the Rational Response Squad. The dispute revolved around two videos posted by Sapient on YouTube....
- 01/17/2008 - 11:10am - 0 comments

Nationwide v. Belo Corp.

Date: 07/28/2004
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Texas
Publication: Print, Website
On July 29, 2003, the Dallas Morning News published in print and on its website an allegedly defamatory article by financial writer Scott Burns about an accelerated mortgage program offered by Nationwide Bi-Weekly Administration, a company that provides mortgage payment services for...
- 01/16/2008 - 2:40pm - 1 comments

Freecycle Network v. Oey

Date: 04/04/2006
Status: Pending
Disposition: Dismissed (partial), Injunction Issued
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Arizona
Publication: Forum
The Freecycle Network (TFN) is a nonprofit corporation that acts as a central administrative point for local recycling communities around the United States and operates a website at www.freecycle.org. It had been operating under this name since 2003, and in 2004 submitted...
- 01/15/2008 - 2:37pm - 0 comments

SI03 v. Does

Date: 06/11/2007
Status: Pending
Disposition: n/a
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Illinois, Idaho
Publication: Website
SI03, Inc., the company that makes the "Syntrax" line of nutritional supplements, sued 31 individual John Doe defendants and 5 Doe companies over derogatory comments made about Syntrax on the BodyBuilding.com Forums.  The complaint claimed that some of the individual...
- 01/12/2008 - 9:34pm - 0 comments

Energy Automation Systems v. Xcentric Ventures

Date: 11/06/2006
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Tennessee
Publication: Forum
Xcentric Ventures, LLC, operates the Bad Business Bureau, which provides a forum in which consumers may accuse companies and individuals of various "rip-off" and "bad business" practices. This forum is located on a website that may be accessed through either of two...
- 01/11/2008 - 11:49am - 0 comments

Parker v. X17, Inc.

Date: 12/19/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Retraction Issued, Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Blog
In December 2007, Tony Parker sued X17, Inc., the operator of X17online.com, a celebrity news and gossip website, alleging libel and false light invasion of privacy. According to Parker's complaint, which was filed in California state court, X17 published a...
- 01/11/2008 - 11:46am - 0 comments

Kansas University v. Lawrence Journal-World

Date: 12/10/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Withdrawn
Type: Criminal Investigation
Jurisdiction: Kansas
Publication: Website
On December 10, 2007, an investigator with the Kansas University Office of Public Safety delivered a search warrant to the Lawrence Journal-World, a highly regarded newspaper in Lawrence, Kansas, demanding access to the newspaper’s computer servers. The search warrant, issued...
- 01/09/2008 - 12:12pm - 0 comments

TMI v. Maxwell

Date: 02/08/2002
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (total), Material Removed, Verdict (plaintiff)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Texas
Publication: Website
In 2002, TMI Inc., a homebuilder operating under the name Trendmaker Homes, sued Joseph Maxwell over his gripe site, alleging that Maxwell had violated federal and Texas anti-dilution provisions, and the federal Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (“ACPA”). Maxwell registered the domain name...
- 01/07/2008 - 3:51pm - 0 comments

Mitchell v. Noel

Date: 08/02/2007
Status: Pending
Disposition: n/a
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Grenada
Publication: Website
According to an August 6, 2007 article in the iPinions Journal, Dr. Keith Claudius Mitchell, the Prime Minister of Grenada is suing Lloyd Noel, a political columnist at Caribbean Net News and former Attorney General of Grenada, and...
- 01/07/2008 - 3:24pm - 0 comments

Gilding v. Carr

Date: 09/11/2007
Status: Pending
Disposition: n/a
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Arizona
Publication: Blog
John Carr is the former past president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). Carr operates a blog, The Main Bang, on which he often criticizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In two blog posts in July 2007, Carr...
- 01/04/2008 - 12:54pm - 3 comments

Fitzgerald v. CBS Broadcasting

Date: 10/12/2004
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (partial), Settled (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Publication: Broadcast, Website
Christopher Fitzgerald, a freelance photographer who was working on assignment for the Boston Globe, photographed well-known mobster Stephen Flemmi on January 6, 1995 while Flemmi was being transferred shortly after his arrest. Fitzgerald was the only photographer at the scene, and thus...
- 01/03/2008 - 8:13pm - 0 comments

Peoria County Juvenile Court v. Hopkins

Date: 07/25/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: n/a
Type: Denial of Access
Jurisdiction: Illinois
Publication: Blog
Elaine Hopkins, a blogger from Peoriastory.com and former newspaper reporter, sought to observe and cover a juvenile court hearing in Peoria, Illinois. After the assistant state's attorney Susan Lucas objected to Hopkins' presence in the courtroom, Judge Albert Purham, Jr....
- 12/31/2007 - 10:16am - 0 comments

University of Delaware v. Murakowski

Date: 04/20/2007
Status: Pending
Disposition: n/a
Type: Disciplinary Action
Jurisdiction: Delaware
Publication: Website
Maciej Murakowski, a nineteen year-old student at the University of Delaware, created a website in June 2005 on the university's servers that included violent and sexually graphic material. According to the complaint Murakowski subsequently filed, in one post, titled “Talking...
- 12/26/2007 - 6:39pm - 0 comments

In re Douglas McCullough YouTube Video

Date: 01/01/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: n/a
Type: Correspondence
Jurisdiction:
Publication: Website
On October 31, 2007, Doug Clark of the Greensboro News-Record wrote a blog post about a campaign speech made by Douglas McCullough, a North Carolina Court of Appeals judge, to a group of Republican supporters. During the speech,...
- 12/21/2007 - 12:39pm - 0 comments

Browne v. Avvo Inc.

Date: 06/14/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Washington
Publication: Website
On June 14, 2007, two prominent lawyers in Seattle, WA filed a class action lawsuit against Avvo Inc., the operator of Avvo.com, a website that profiles and rates lawyers and allows users to submit reviews of lawyers they...
- 12/19/2007 - 1:46pm - 0 comments

Center for Public Integrity v. U.S. Dept. Health and Human Servs.

Date: 10/24/2006
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Verdict (plaintiff)
Type: Denial of Access
Jurisdiction: District of Columbia
Publication: Website
The Center for Public Integrity (CPI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing investigative journalism on issues of public concern, requested to be treated as a representative of the news media for purposes of document requests it made under the Freedom of Information...
- 12/19/2007 - 12:07pm - 0 comments

Eagle Broadband v. Mould

Date: 10/05/2005
Status: Pending
Disposition: Dismissed (partial)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Forum
In October 2005, Eagle Broadband, Inc. brought a John Doe lawsuit for defamation, trade libel, and unfair competition under California law after anonymous users posted critical statements about it on a Yahoo! Finance message board. Shortly thereafter, the court granted...
- 12/18/2007 - 10:38am - 0 comments

Melaleuca v. 43SB.COM, LLC

Date: 06/07/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Subpoena Quashed
Type: Subpoena
Jurisdiction: Idaho
Publication: Blog, Website, Other
43rd State Blues: Democracy for Idaho describes itself as a "website of, by and for Democrats and those who lean towards Democratic, progressive causes." The website offers what it calls a "team blog" service -- users who register for an...
- 12/17/2007 - 12:42pm - 0 comments

Best Buy v. Laughing Squid

Date: 12/11/2007
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Withdrawn
Type: Correspondence
Jurisdiction: California
Publication: Blog
On December 11, 2007, Best Buy sent a cease-and-desist letter to Scott Beale of Laughing Squid for reporting on an "Improv Everywhere" prank and their sales of T-shirts mocking the Best Buy logo. Best Buy claimed the post infringed its trademarks...
- 12/13/2007 - 6:26pm - 0 comments

Lucas Nursery & Landscaping v. Grosse

Date: 08/17/2001
Status: Concluded
Disposition: Dismissed (total)
Type: Lawsuit
Jurisdiction: Michigan
Publication: Website
When she was dissatisfied with landscaping work performed at her home by Lucas Nursery & Landscaping, Michelle Grosse registered the domain name, www.lucasnursery.com. Grosse posted photographs of her yard and warned other consumers about doing business with Lucas...
- 12/13/2007 - 6:22pm - 0 comments

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