Account Options

  1. Sign in
The old Google Groups will be going away soon.
Switch to the new Google Groups.
Google Groups Home
« Groups Home
Digital Ninjas (formerly Truth Squad)
Home
+ new post
About this group
Apply for group membership
In Koch spoof case, judge favors First Amendment
Options
There are currently too many topics in this group that display first. To make this topic appear first, remove this option from another topic.
There was an error processing your request. Please try again.
flag
   1 message - Collapse all  -  Translate all to Translated (View all originals)
The group you are posting to is a Usenet group. Messages posted to this group will make your email address visible to anyone on the Internet.
Your reply message has not been sent.
Your post was successful
 
From:
To:
Cc:
Followup To:
Add Cc | Add Followup-to | Edit Subject
Subject:
Validation:
For verification purposes please type the characters you see in the picture below or the numbers you hear by clicking the accessibility icon. Listen and type the numbers you hear
 
Dorry Samuels  
View profile  
 More options May 10 2011, 2:47 pm
From: Dorry Samuels <dsamu...@citizen.org>
Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 13:47:02 -0500
Local: Tues, May 10 2011 2:47 pm
Subject: In Koch spoof case, judge favors First Amendment
Print | Individual message | Show original | Report this message | Find messages by this author

FROM PUBLIC CITIZEN:
May 9, 2011                                                                        Contact: Dorry Samuels (202) 588-7742                                                                                                                     Barbara Holzer (202) 588-7716

Federal Judge Favors Free Speech, Rules That Political Spoof Against Koch Industries Did Not Break Law

Statement of Deepak Gupta, Attorney, Public Citizen

A federal judge's ruling today in Utah dismissing Koch Industries' lawsuit against a group of anonymous climate-change activists known as Youth for Climate Truth is an important victory for free speech online.

The judge ruled that Youth for Climate Truth had a First Amendment right to issue its satirical press release and website - in which the group impersonated Koch and announced that the company had reversed its position on climate change - in an effort to call attention to Koch's bankrolling efforts to deny climate change. The U.S. District Court for the District of Utah rejected all of Koch's legal claims, which alleged trademark infringement, unfair competition, cybersquatting, computer hacking and breach of the company website's terms of use. The judge also issued an order barring Koch from using any identifying information it already obtained by subpoena about the anonymous group.

We are gratified that the court affirmed our clients' First Amendment right to engage in anonymous political speech and rejected Koch's baseless legal theories.

This lawsuit was a well-financed attempt by Koch to bully its political opponents into submission. The court was right to dismiss this lawsuit, which was based on a harmless prank.

This important precedent will prevent future lawsuits aimed at stifling political speech.

To read more about this case, visit: http://www.citizen.org/litigation/forms/cases/getlinkforcase.cfm?cID=652.

###
Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.citizen.org<http://www.citizen.org/>.

Dorry Samuels
Press Office Coordinator
Public Citizen
1600 20th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 588-7742
Follow me on Twitter at @dorrysamuels


 
You must Sign in before you can post messages.
To post a message you must first join this group.
Please update your nickname on the subscription settings page before posting.
You do not have the permission required to post.
End of messages
« Back to Discussions « Newer topic     Older topic »

Create a group - Google Groups - Google Home - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy
©2012 Google