MLM and their lawyer threatening SLAPP

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

________________________________________
From: RJ Riley (PIA) [rjr () piausa org]
Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 11:25 PM
To: David Farber
Subject: MLM and their lawyer threatening SLAPP

Dave, for IP if you wish.

It seems we have another attorney from a small Michigan town who may be eking out a living sending cease and desist 
letters to anyone who dares to criticize his client's MLM business models.

Gerald P Nehra
1710 Beach St,  Muskegon, MI 49441
Muskegon, MI 49440
(231) 755-3800

It looks like a one attorney operation, with one assistant.

http://mlmatty.com/

http://everydayfinance.blogspot.com/2008/07/legal-notice-to-cease-and-desist-threat.html

http://www.sequence-inc.com/

Perhaps you may recall Dozier Internet Law, run by an attorney who returned to practicing law after the dot com bust.  
He was spewing cease and desist letters which were little more than a threat of a SLAPP.  He sent a number of letters 
to members of the inventor community and others.  In the process he achieved the notoriety he had earned when Public 
Citizen called his bluff and I created www.CyberTrialLawyer-SUCKS.com<http://www.CyberTrialLawyer-SUCKS.com>.

Gerald P Nehra represents himself as an attorney specializing in Multi Level Marketing (MLM).  It seems that some of 
his clients have dissatisfied customers and that they are drawing fire as detailed in the above links.    Gerald P 
Nehra seems to be just as proficient with cut and paste features of his word processor as the Dozier firm.  He has been 
busy sending letters demanding that people remove well reasoned opinions about his client.


Ronald J. Riley,


Speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.patentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 9 pm EST.

http://www.sequence-inc.com/fraudfiles/2008/07/15/shop-to-earn-lawyer-ups-the-ante-with-financial-blogger/

Shop To Earn lawyer ups the ante with financial 
blogger<http://www.sequence-inc.com/fraudfiles/2008/07/15/shop-to-earn-lawyer-ups-the-ante-with-financial-blogger/>

Tue 15 July 08 · Filed under Writing & Blogging<http://www.sequence-inc.com/fraudfiles/category/writing-blogging/>

ShopToEarn is a multi-level marketing company recruiting new members who can receive a small percentage of cash back on 
their internet purchases. If they recruit enough new people into the scheme, who pay the $450 fee and do some shopping 
of their own, they can make a little more money.

I have a dim view of this 
program<http://www.sequence-inc.com/fraudfiles/2008/07/12/more-on-why-shoptoearn-sucks-mypowermall-teamnational/>, and 
so does Everyday Finance. The blogger at Everyday Finance was threatened by MLM attorney Gerald Nehra about posting his 
opinions on the company. The blogger amended parts of his original 
article<http://www.sequence-inc.com/fraudfiles/2008/07/14/more-bullying-of-bloggers-by-shop-to-earn-attorney-gerald-nehra/>,
 making it very clear that he was citing personal opinions (both good and bad) about the program. I got my own cease 
and desist letter this week from Gerry Nehra and Shop To Earn.

But that’s not enough. Now Gerry Nehra is 
demanding<http://everydayfinance.blogspot.com/2008/07/legal-notice-to-cease-and-desist-threat.html> that the blogger 
take down his whole site or legal action will be taken. Are you kidding me? The blogger shouldn’t have to take down any 
comments about Shop To Earn and Shop To Earth, much less take down the whole site. Here’s Nehra’s latest note making 
this threat:

Your minor word changes DO NOT remedy the problem - the site should be taken down within 24 hours or the company will 
pursue all legal remedies.

Gerald Nehra

Counsel to ShopToEarn

Bloggers unite! We must stand up to rogue attorneys who make these kinds of threats to bloggers. Gerald Nehra and 
ShopToEarn have no right to dictate whether Everyday Finance exists or not. Posts about personal finance issues that 
don’t reference Shop To Earn cannot be controlled by them. They should not be allowed to bully bloggers in this manner.

Investigative journalist Gary Weiss has it 
right<http://garyweiss.blogspot.com/2008/07/shop-to-lose-aka-shoptoearn-bloviates.html>: The company is doing nothing 
but drawing negative attention to itself.

Sam Antar is weighing in too<http://whitecollarfraud.blogspot.com/2008/07/shop-to-earn-tries-to-bully-bloggers.html>, 
saying:

It is unfortunate that too many companies like Shop To Earn are bullying critics with litigation. Critical analysis of 
companies is an important part of our vibrant capitalist economy and such free speech is protected by our Constitution. 
If corporate bullying is allowed to continue, our nation risks a downward spiral into crony capitalism.

If you believe bloggers need to be protected from outrageous threats like these, please write about Shop To Earn and 
Gerald Nehra’s threats on your own blog. Come back here and post a link to your blog. I’ll be following up on this 
issue with posts featuring all the bloggers who join the fight and take a stand against the bullying of bloggers who 
voice their opinions.

Permalink<http://www.sequence-inc.com/fraudfiles/2008/07/15/shop-to-earn-lawyer-ups-the-ante-with-financial-blogger/>



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