Washington State Senate First in the Nation to Seek to Remedy Anonymous Internet Slander
PR Newswire - April 16, 1999 14:37
Wade Cook Financial Corporation Collaborates With Legislators On Groundbreaking Measures Against On-Line Slander
SEATTLE, April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Anonymous Internet slanderers beware. An amendment attached to a bill heard on the floor of the Washington State Senate today would allow companies and individuals to issue electronic summonses to people using the Internet to anonymously defame individuals or companies doing business in Washington.
The amendment is being championed by Sen. Bill Finkbeiner (R-Kirkland) and Senator Lisa Brown (D-Spokane) who are concerned about the victimization of Washington state residents and companies in the wide open arena of the Internet.
"The advent of the Internet has offered tremendous advantages to companies and to consumers, not the least of which is the ability to transcend geographic boundaries to communicate with millions of people," said Finkbeiner. "However, the freedom and broad reach of the Internet should be used as a positive tool for communication, education and commerce, not to defame and damage the reputations of people and companies with impunity. This bill successfully walks a fine line between offering redress to those who have been defamed on the Internet and avoiding the creation of a new definition of defamation which only applies to the Internet."
Scores of companies in Washington state have been victimized by patently false slander posted anonymously on web sites and bulletin boards. In March of 1999, Wade Cook Financial Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: WADE) filed suit in United States District Court against "John Doe #1-10," unknown users of Yahoo! Inc. for defaming the company. The suit claims that the information published by these anonymous individuals negatively impacts the integrity of Wade Cook Financial Corp. and its chairman and discredits their business methods. The suit also contends that the published transmissions negatively affect public confidence in the company and could potentially drive away customers and shareholders. The company is seeking a federal subpoena to compel Yahoo! Inc. to reveal the names of the John Does.
"We're very appreciative of the groundbreaking efforts on the part of Senators Brown and Finkbeiner," said Kiman Lucas, General Counsel for Wade Cook Financial Corporation. "We know that many other companies face similar challenges and believe that we have an obligation to our customers, shareholders and the community in general to do whatever we can to stop such malicious activity."
Wade Cook Financial Corporation is one of America's leading financial education seminar and publishing companies. Wade Cook Financial Corporation provides hundreds of financial education seminars each month, and through its subsidiary, Lighthouse Publishing, publishes dozens of financial investment and real estate investment education books.
SOURCE Wade Cook Financial Corporation
/CONTACT: Michael Dunne, or Rosanne Marks of MWW/Savitt, 206-689-8505,
for Wade Cook Financial Corporation/
go2net.newsalert.com
|
