Video Professor sues his internet critics

[Nimrod]

yep - the guy behind those silly "learn for to use a computer" cds you see on TV is now suing his critics on the net, specifically message boards:

You've probably seen infomercials for the Video Professor on late-night TV; a kindly-looking John Scherer has been pitching his company's computer training videos for two decades now. But Video Professor, Inc. has no problem using less-friendly tactics when confronted with criticism, and the company is now suing more than 100 anonymous Internet posters over derogatory comments that they made about Video Professor's business.

The Denver Post noticed the case a few days back, and it's certainly an odd one. Video Professor filed a federal claim in a Colorado court against 100 "John and Jane Does" who committed "unauthorized Internet disparagement of VPI and its products" on web sites such as infomercialscams.com (the site, incidentally, is the number three Google result for "video professor").

The complaints generally follow a similar theme: Video Professor allegedly markets products as free to try, then pitches callers with upsells that confuse them into signing up for subscriptions. A recent comment from "Tina" is typical. "I had purchased one piece of software from Video Professor... before I knew what was happening, my credit card was overdrawn and more attempted charges were constantly occurring. I kept calling customer service, returned the original software and heard many promises of the 100 percent refund, less S/H. This has been over 3 years now."

Oddly enough, the Video Professor contacted the owner of the site back in July and told him that they wanted the full contact information for all concerned parties in order to address them individually and continue "providing superior customer service." Now, two months later, the company has sued the anonymous individuals in question and is trying to enforce a subpoena against infomercialscams.com in order to get IP addresses about posters. Those posters are being charged with commercial disparagement, false advertising, misrepresentation, and posting false and defamatory messages. That's certainly the sort of superior customer service we'd all like more of.

You can read the full story here - http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20 ... itics.html

I can't stop laughing at this. At the same time I'm scared that this may actually get somewhere in the US courts. What's next? I say I didn't like a movie and the director can sue me?

Hopefully the courts in this case will be sensible and toss the whole thing out.

[Strike Zero]

I completely lost it at this part:

The company's federal complaint is a strange read, since it does not identify even a single false and defamatory statement; it simply asserts the existence of such statements somewhere on Teh Interwebs.

I'll say this: If this guy actually manages to get money from the people who posted the complaints, I am going to be seriously pissed off. Not just at this John Scherer, but at the idiots running the courts who would even consider allowing a case like this to go through.

[ShadowCell]

I wish I could sue everyone who ever said something bad about me on the Internets.

That way I could get them all in one room.

And then...the machineguns.

[Destroy Gundam]

If anonymous posters could be sued, 4chan's name would constantly appear in the legal system. Flame wars would result in lawsuits and/or jail time or something similar.

[Strike Zero]

I wish I could sue everyone who ever said something bad about me on the Internets.

That way I could get them all in one room.

And then...the machineguns.

Screw machineguns. Shotguns = superior fun.

[Wingnut]

I wish I could sue everyone who ever said something bad about me on the Internets.

That way I could get them all in one room.

And then...the machineguns.

Screw machineguns. Shotguns = superior fun.

However they would be ineffective against the numbers we are talking about here.

[Strike Zero]

That many, huh? Just how many people would we be talking here?

[Gadget]

I wish I could sue everyone who ever said something bad about me on the Internets.

That way I could get them all in one room.

And then...the machineguns.

Don't laught. In Singapore, a lady put some 'bad' comments in a local forum. And she was flamed. Like over a thousand respond to wack her. (I don't think this forum could do that. )Than she make a police report that she was 'harassed'. When this events was made known, the flaming becomes a firestorm. I'm not really sure what the police did. But I thought it will be funny if the mods in this forum ask the courts to put a 'restraning order' on people who put stupid post.

I think locking the thread or banning them is much simpler. I don't know why the mods on that forum let the situation get out of control. I think they just want more hits.

[Heretic]

I don't know why the mods on that forum let the situation get out of control. I think they just want more hits.

Mods that don’t care about the quality of the forum or the feelings of the posters.

MAHQ Mods: we cattle-prod out of love.

[ShadowCell]

But I thought it will be funny if the mods in this forum ask the courts to put a 'restraning order' on people who put stupid post.

If we did that, then they'd take out restraining orders on us.

The point of that article, though, is that this Video Professor guy is trying to sue people who are making comments on a forum he does not own or control for libel. And what he's actually suing them over appears to be criticism of his product, which, last time I checked, doesn't really necessarily constitute libel.

[The Big Zabowski]

Epic thread is EPIC

I seriously lol'd until I pissed my pants, and then lol'd some more..and then lost bowel control.

This is seriously the most bulls**t I've ever heard in a long time. I've had my share of business law, and this is going to be a wicked case for Internet Law precedent.

All I can say is that this will be a s**tstorm of controversy for the US court system if it goes through, as said before. It's bordering on some of the other stuff that goes on with the US at the moment..

I can see this thing possibly going to the US Supreme Courts, because of the backlash from the Interwebs Haet Machine, and appeals from John Shearer himself, will just make it worse..

[Wedge14]

MAHQ Mods: we cattle-prod out of love.

Now that's kinky!


I think the internet is a weird thing, theres a lot of legal gray areas and what not. Times are a changing.

[ORegan]

1st amendment anyone...anyone not familair with America's bill of rights, I'm sure your country has something similar with a different name. Known as freedom of speech...

[Gadget]

1st amendment anyone...anyone not familair with America's bill of rights, I'm sure your country has something similar with a different name. Known as freedom of speech...

I'm not American, but I think it's also covers 'Freedom to sue the pants' out of you'. I think it's a civil case, not leagal case. It's like OJ Simpson retail. He was not guity of murder, but was sussefully sued for murder.

[The Big Zabowski]

I'm not American, but I think it's also covers 'Freedom to sue the pants' out of you'. I think it's a civil case, not [legal] case. It's like OJ Simpson retail. He was not [guilty] of murder, but was [successfully] sued for murder.

Yeah, it's called a Libel Suit (and I think someone mentioned it above). It's really just a pissy suit by someone that just can't take criticism or heat, well..most of the time.

There are instances where those suits are worth pursuing, but IMO..this is just not one of them. That, and he'd be treading on thin ice by trying to enforce a subpoena to get the ISPs to hand over the IP addresses and identities of those making the comments. They (The Anons) could just counter sue for invasion of privacy IIRC.

Imagine if this was 4Chan though.. instead of some forum.

...Those posters are being charged with commercial disparagement, false advertising, misrepresentation, and posting false and defamatory messages.

Also take note of what he's suing for. Most of this stuff may result in his business operations going under the microscope.. he may be digging his own grave with this one.

[Nimrod]

...Those posters are being charged with commercial disparagement, false advertising, misrepresentation, and posting false and defamatory messages.

Also take note of what he's suing for. Most of this stuff may result in his business operations going under the microscope.. he may be digging his own grave with this one.

Indeed, especially if he gets someone's name, goes after them and they decide to turn around and counter-sue him. That could then open the door of other lawsuits against him and his company, not to mention the IRS if he hasn't been truthful with the taxman.

[Gadget]

And lawyers will cry hallelujah!

[Lert]

I laughed at the OP.

Then I realised that this is happening in a country where people can sue a fast food restaurant for not warning them that fat foods will make them fat, and hot coffee is hot ..

[Destroy Gundam]

Actually, the coffee thing was more punishing McDonald's for not making its coffee so hot after being warned many times to lower the temperature from scalding to a slightly cooler level and not the lack of a label saying it was hot.

[Fritz Ashlyn]

I'll cry hallelujah when people stop bringing up the McDonald's Coffee lawsuit whenever any mention of frivolous litigation comes up. When a woman is burned so badly on her inner thighs, groin and buttocks that skin grafts are required, that isn't frivolous.

This "anonymous people insulted me because I grifted them, give me money!" thing, on the other hand, is stupid.