Changes

Over the past few days, we've become aware of actor Ron Livingston's agency <a title="Courthouse News Service" href="http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/12/08/Ron_Livingston_Sues_Over_Gay_Rumors.htm" target="_blank">taking legal action</a> to protect his biography on Wikipedia and his personality on Facebook from the malicious efforts of a pseudonymous attacker seeking to defame (or, if not defame, then at least irritate) Livingston by saying he is in a gay relationship with casting director Lee Dennison.

Over the past few days, we've become aware of actor Ron Livingston's agency [http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/12/08/Ron_Livingston_Sues_Over_Gay_Rumors.htm taking legal action] to protect his biography on Wikipedia and his personality on Facebook from the malicious efforts of a pseudonymous attacker seeking to defame (or, if not defame, then at least irritate) Livingston by saying he is in a gay relationship with casting director Lee Dennison.

The thing is, Livingston is not gay.

The thing is, Livingston is not gay.

And "Lee Dennison" doesn't exist.

And "Lee Dennison" doesn't exist.

Interestingly, the community at Wikipedia Review has done most of the <a title="WikipediaReview.com thread on Ron Livingston" href="http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=27677" target="_blank">detective work</a> for lawyer <a title="Chad Fitzgerald, lawyer" href="http://www.kwikalaw.com/cfitzgerald" target="_blank">Chad Fitzgerald</a>, whether he knew about it or not.  It appears that the accused "John Doe" is actually one Mark Binmore, if even that is a real name.

Interestingly, the community at Wikipedia Review has done most of the [http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=27677 detective work] for lawyer [http://www.kwikalaw.com/cfitzgerald Chad Fitzgerald], whether he knew about it or not.  It appears that the accused "John Doe" is actually one Mark Binmore, if even that is a real name.

Attorney Ben Sheffner has also <a title="Copyrights &amp; Campaigns, Ben Sheffner" href="http://copyrightsandcampaigns.blogspot.com/2009/12/why-you-cant-trust-legal-analysis-that.html" target="_blank">commented</a> on the <a title="Coupleguys, Inc. v John Doe" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/23812308/Complaint-in-Coupleguys-Inc-v-John-Doe" target="_blank">legal brief</a> and the related common tragedy of events like this -- both the mainstream and the gossip media typically botch the details of any legal case involving the Internet.  Why is that?  Why do Internet issues having anything to deal with privacy and defamation seem so difficult to accurately report in the media?  Maybe it's because most reporters have a mistaken understanding that on the Internet people are good, they don't lie, they say who they are, and they don't spread falsehoods deliberately.  Well, wake up.  Thanks to <a title="Section 230 of Communications Decency Act" href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/47/230.html" target="_blank">Section 230</a>, I'm beginning to think that generally speaking, on the Internet the opposite is actually true.

Attorney Ben Sheffner has also [http://copyrightsandcampaigns.blogspot.com/2009/12/why-you-cant-trust-legal-analysis-that.html commented] on the [http://www.scribd.com/doc/23812308/Complaint-in-Coupleguys-Inc-v-John-Doe legal brief] and the related common tragedy of events like this -- both the mainstream and the gossip media typically botch the details of any legal case involving the Internet.  Why is that?  Why do Internet issues having anything to deal with privacy and defamation seem so difficult to accurately report in the media?  Maybe it's because most reporters have a mistaken understanding that on the Internet people are good, they don't lie, they say who they are, and they don't spread falsehoods deliberately.  Well, wake up.  Thanks to [http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/47/230.html Section 230], I'm beginning to think that generally speaking, on the Internet the opposite is actually true.

People are bad.  They lie.  They don't say who they are.  And they spread falsehoods deliberately.

People are bad.  They lie.  They don't say who they are.  And they spread falsehoods deliberately.

==Comments==

==Comments==

3 Responses       to “        Ron Livingston battles phantom defendant       ”

===3 Responses to ''Ron Livingston battles phantom defendant''===

Comments RSS

Comments RSS

Anthony DiPierro    

====Anthony DiPierro====

“People are bad.  They lie.  They don’t say who they are.  And they spread falsehoods deliberately.”

“People are bad.  They lie.  They don’t say who they are.  And they spread falsehoods deliberately.”

Umm, a *few* people.  We’re not all like that  .

Umm, a *few* people.  We’re not all like that  .

Barry Kort    

====Barry Kort====

Once upon a time, human beings invented the art of crafting make-believe stories.  For many centuries, these make-believe stories were the primary means of transmitting cultural knowledge from one generation to the next.

Once upon a time, human beings invented the art of crafting make-believe stories.  For many centuries, these make-believe stories were the primary means of transmitting cultural knowledge from one generation to the next.