Blogger outed and subpoenaed
I was researching used cisco equipment when I came across this article about an employee who is getting dragged into a patent lawsuit.
Harris, an intellectual property attorney, is suing his former employer, San Diego-based Fish & Richardson P.C., for forcing him out of the firm and wrongfully withholding his wages. Harris drew scrutiny last year as the inventor of patents later used to sue Fish & Richardson clients, including Google Inc. , and was told to resign after news reports about the situation emerged.
Among the first to report on Harris’s connection to patents used against his firm’s clients was Frenkel, who was then blogging anonymously as the “Patent Troll Tracker.” A “troll” is a pejorative term used for firms that buy patents only to file infringement suits against large companies. Frenkel is a director in Cisco’s intellectual property group.[...] One of the attorneys representing Harris in his suit against Fish & Richardson, Raymond Niro, helped reveal Frenkel’s identity late last year, when he offered a $5,000 bounty to anyone willing to unmask the author of the Patent Troll Tracker blog.
Frenkel later disclosed his identity in February, and he and Cisco were then almost immediately sued by a pair of Texas attorneys who had represented plaintiffs against Cisco and other companies.
The Texas attorneys claim that Frenkel defamed them with his anonymous online posts, and that Cisco condoned Frenkel’s blog, which featured harsh criticism of both firms that sue large technology companies and the attorneys who represent them. Cisco has denied that it knew of Frenkel’s blogging, and that it condoned what he was doing.
Yikes! An employee of a company finds a good outlet for his frustration/passion/whatever and once again his employer is in hot water for it. Here’s a clue to these people. Bloggers are people who have jobs (most of the time) and, like people who chat in cafes or bars, sometimes talk about work stuff (though it could be completely unrelated). They like to stay anonymous because their employers aren’t responsible for what employees do in their off-time. If I were to speak about something personal in a public place (cafe or bar) would my employer be responsible for the words coming out of my mouth? But why not sue anyway. Right?
This is why I want to work for myself. I don’t want to worry that what I say can negatively impact my employment- therefore stifling what I have to say. This guy was outed by someone seeking a $5,000 reward. Now he’s under the microscope. Because his views were controversial and someone is trying to get rich. What a waste.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Sphere: Related ContentDid you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically each day to your feed reader.
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.