Re: [APD] Legal implications of free speech...

["Robert H" <robertph3 at comcast_net>]

>>As I recall, none of the recent
litigation involving a pet vendor and several customers ever got to the
point where the merits of the case were presented and evaluated.
However, many defendants, not able to represent themselves pro se, had
to spend their own money on attorneys.  And this has dragged on for years.<<

It didn't really need to go all the way since the majority of us settled. 
And those that did not have dragged on into legal limbo. What do you think 
the price was we paid? It cost us money, people gave up WEB sites and other 
things not to mention the anguish and torment. And beyond that PW won in the 
long run. He changed forever how this forum and every other aquarium forum 
operates. In the last four years every aquarium WEB forum now has a strict 
policy of not allowing negative comments of businesses. And whether anyone 
admits it or not, although the bravado, over exaggerration, and lies by the 
plantiff were dispicable, there was an underlining truth behind it that we 
were irresponsible in our comments.  It didn't matter if it was the truth or 
not.  People went overboard. And while this may not be a popular thing to 
say on this forum, it is a realization that many of us have come to 
privately.

>>I think it best to pass on my negative
experiences with vendors privately wherever possible.<<

If your opinion is asked for that is one thing, but when someone takes it 
upon themselves to go on a mission to privately contact anyone at any 
opportunity for unsolicited feedback, it is just as dangerous and 
irresponsible. A year or two ago a vendor in AZ was getting a flood of 
negative comments on the internet. At some point a couple people started 
giving people this feedback in private email and private forums. But some of 
these people who were recieving these comments were actually satisfied 
customers of this vendor and forwarded the messages to the vendor. Every 
business has to deal with this, particularly on the internet. I have had my 
own problems to deal with. What I learned out of the whole legal ordeal was 
for myself anyway, that to be responsible I need to determin where the line 
is from being informative and being vindictive just because I was "wronged". 
It is an easy line to cross.

Robert Hudson
www.aquabotanic.com 

_______________________________________________
Aquatic-Plants mailing list
Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants