Techdirt's Response To Roca Labs' Demand For A Retraction
from the threats-and-such dept
As you know, we've been reporting on a lawsuit involving Roca Labs against Consumer Opinion Corporation, better known as PissedConsumer. We recently received a letter from Roca Labs' "independent general counsel" Paul Berger, demanding that we retract certain information related to some of those posts. Below you can find that letter as well as our response, helpfully put together by Jamie Williams at EFF.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: paul berger
Companies: roca labs
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
I looked,
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: I looked,
That's defamatory libelslander!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: I looked,
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: I looked,
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: I looked,
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: I looked,
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: I looked,
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140922/13125328599/pissedconsumer-fights-back-against-roca-la bs-attempt-to-silence-customer-complaints.shtml
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: I looked,
In your September 22, 2104 article
... and Techdirt would not have filed that in a link to https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140922/etc.
Give Mike a little credit for indexing the articles correctly.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
"Dear Mr. Berger and Roca Labs, Inc.:
lol.
love,eff and techdirt and mike"
In crayon, naturally.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Arkell v. Pressdram
See: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2013/08/arkell-v-pressdram.html
---
Dear Sirs,
We acknowledge your letter of 29th April referring to Mr. J. Arkell. [Roca Labs]
We note that Mr Arkell's [Roca Labs'] attitude to damages will be governed by the nature of our reply and would therefore be grateful if you would inform us what his attitude to damages would be, were he [Roca Labs] to learn that the nature of our reply is as follows: fuck off.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Arkell v. Pressdram
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Arkell v. Pressdram
So too is Ken White's famous (or is that infamous) response of "snort my taint". ;)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Yeah, they weren't demanding a retraction, it looks like they were demanding the removal of the first four articles covering the fiasco in their entirety.
Of interest, and reminding me of the Ken/Popehat phrase 'Vague threats are a mark of legal thuggery', while they mentioned that the articles and what's listed in them are 'defamatory', they don't actually point to any specific examples of such, just giving a vague 'This article and its contents are defamatory'. Given truth is a defense against defamation, it's not hard to imagine why they'd avoid going into details.
Oh and talk about a blast from the past, they end the letter with 'Please govern yourself accordingly', talk about deja vu...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Then I just sent them my rented cable modem when I was with them and never heard from collection agencies again.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hmm. Lawyer for litigious company can't see negative comments about said company as having any other purpose but to give them an opportunity to pursue billable hours and possibly monetary settlements/judgments. I am Jack's legal filing of a motion to be sarcastically surprised.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
How about this...
Seriously - did they expect this to work and not increase their douchebaggery points?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The phrase "pick your battles" comes to mind.
It does serve to illustrate the mental state of the person making the decisions, however. And that state is not pretty.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Seriously?!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Dear Mike Masnick and Techdirt staffers
THANK YOU for giving me three or four breaks a day when I can enjoy your writing and seriously relax.
This series of articles (as well as the Scorpion writeups) have given me nothing but joy. If it weren't for you guys, and Ken White, and Marc Randazza... what a joyless world it would be.
I wish you a wonderful weekend.
Regards,
Ehud Gavron
Tucson AZ
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Confused
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Confused
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Confused
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Paul Berger, I have some advice. You should clean the scan window on your fax machine.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
What I find interesting about the 2 leatters
The second appears to have been written by a professional.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
OK.
The article said that the filing said this. The filing did say this. The article was therefore accurate. Independent verification can be obtained by the copy you already have of the filings. If you want a retraction of what's in the filings, perhaps you should do what you've already apparently done and ask opposing counsel to retract it, even though that's still kind of ridiculous.
Oh, you wanted verification of the underlying claims? For that, you can refer to your OWN filings, where you admit that you do not allow your consumers to publish anything negative about you or your products in any forum. Sounds like a "cone of silence" to me. As far as the "bully its former customers into silence" claim goes, we have Roca Labs vs Alice King, where you sue a former customer for her negative comments. I don't think you dispute the general idea that you want to "to sell as many of [your] tubs of goo to the public as [you] can", although you might not like your products being called "tubs of goo". As far as the "regulatory agencies" go, certainly you have your factories inspected every once in a while, so they do occasionally "come knocking", right?
If you were interested in a retraction based on an actual mistake of fact, you would point out the actual mistake of fact. For example, if you factories were overseas and therefore not subject to any knocking regulatory agencies, you could say so. Or if you had one designated customer who you allowed to make negative comments without repercussions, you could point out that the phrase "each and every" was not quite true. Or perhaps you could point out that no company who actually wanted to stay in business long enough to sell as much of its product as possible would have terms of service like yours. Or perhaps your understanding of the Streisand Effect was such that you did not believe that your actions would actually silence anyone. Who knows? We certainly don't if you don't tell us.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Party pooper
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Were other people at Techdirt named in the letter who wish to remain anonymous?
If this defamation troll makes good on the threat and goes ahead with a lawsuit, let's hope Techdirt's legal defense fund accepts Bitcoin.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Techdirt's 'transparancy report' blocks out the address of the accused.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sorry - what?!?!
I thought that verifying the facts was the job of the court? Is he claiming that Techdirt has the responsibility to decide the outcome of a pending case before a judge has ruled? Or perhaps he's trying to claim that it's improper to report on a case that hasn't been decided yet?
Just what the hell is he trying to claim here?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Maybe we've been wrong all these years...Maybe goodevil is dumb.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Make that good will always triumph because evil is dumb.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Dear Roca,
We believe you have failed to take account of two elementary facts. One, it's almost legally impossible to defame a corporation, because courts assume that part of the privilege of doing business is the burden of being subjected to criticism. Two, America has this thing called a "Constitution" which includes something known as "the First Amendment."
Free Speakingly Yours,
Techdirt
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Rule of Holes
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
TD re Roca
What an (ignorant collection of) ultra-maroon(s their lawyers must be).
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: UPL
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: UPL
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: UPL
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: UPL
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: UPL
"(a) two or more lawyers whose activities constitute the practice of law, and who share its profits,expenses, and liabilities;"
Yep. Nonprofit but yep.
"(c) a division, department, office, or group within a business entity, which includes more than one lawyer who performs legal services for the business entity;"
Yep. 501(c)(3)s are business entities.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: UPL
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: UPL
How about telling Burgher that he has no case for all the stupid reasons he has no case. What is the "defamation" here? What is the reason for his letter in the first place? Is he really that stupid?
The demand deserved a Ken White style "snort my taint" letter. Something that showed that TD would fight and fight hard if he did not back off. If I got that reply, it would tell me that TD did not have the money for a real lawyer, so it got some low level do-nada at EFF to write a letter that took 30 seconds. If that letter gets followed up by a lawsuit, TD is going to fold like a cheap suit. It might not, it might fight, but that letter just screams "submissive".
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: UPL
Unlikely. Techdirt has been around since the last century, and still going strong.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: UPL
Basically the worst insult a Klingon lawyer could give someone. ;-)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: UPL
This is not one of those times. This is not one of those opponents. Paul Berger is an inferior little man, and is unworthy of anything other than contemptuous dismissal.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
A note on Mr. Berger's omission and confusing pontification
The omission bit
If there really were “numerous false, defamatory and malicious statements about Roca Labs” in the cited article, then Mr. Berger should have enumerated these statements and shown how they satisfy the conditions of defamation and malice. It is a glaring omission that no such enumeration or showing has been provided by Mr. Berger.
The confusing bit
With the last sentence of the quote above, Mr. Berger makes a comparative claim that something in TechDirt’s article is supposed to be similar to Mr. Randazza’s motion filed on September 22. But Mr. Berger does not specify what that something in TechDirt’s article is. It is just downright confusing; it is not clear what Mr. Berger is suggesting by referencing that the Court promptly denied Mr. Randazza’s motion.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: A note on Mr. Berger's omission and confusing pontification
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It is sad they couldn't be bothered to Google Mike and come across this little thing called the 'Streisand Effect'.
Here lemme help your ignorance be enlightened...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Go EFF
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Private Eye had the right answer to this sort of thing
[ link to this | view in chronology ]