IP: Lawsuits May Pierce Veil Of Internet Anonymity

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> From: "Richard Dooling" <richard () dooling com>
> To: <farber () cis upenn edu>
>
>
>
> Corporate Case in Ohio Raises Questions on Internet Anonymity
> By JOHN SCHWARTZ
>
> John Hritz wants to get to know Jane Doe.
>
> Jane Doe is the pseudonym for an Internet user who posted messages critical
> of Mr. Hritz and the company he serves as a general counsel, AK Steel of
> Middletown, Ohio
>
> In court filings fighting the request to unmask Jane Doe, the civil
> liberties groups argue that at the very moment the power of the Internet is
> helping to create the biggest marketplace of ideas the world has ever seen,
> powerful companies will be able to squelch online speech by using the courts
> as a "private detective service" to unmask critics.
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/17/technology/17ONLI.html
>
>
> Richard Dooling