Jack Thompson: Threatening to sue... Wikipedia editors?

[FVZA_Colonel]

12:12 am Thompson Threatens Wikipedia; Says GamePolitics Editor is "Next"

We've had several e-mails from readers indicating that the Wikipedia has locked its entry on Jack Thompson. This all seemed to come to a head late Friday. Given the Wiki's popularity this will likely receive some major coverage the longer the entry stays down. Here's what we know about the situation:

On March 7th, Thompson sent an e-mail to the Wikipedia Foundation board in St. Petersburg, Florida claiming that his Wiki entry contained "a number of false, defamatory, and actionable statements about me. As an aside, you all don't even have my date and year of birth correct, and it goes downhill from there."

Thompson's e-mail doesn't specify which entries he finds offensive. His demand to the Wiki seeks "the real names, addresses, and phone numbers, and any other verifying information, regarding anyone who has posted anything about me at Wikipedia, as they will be defendants."

The outspoken attorney further tells the Wiki board, "You have thirty days to comply with this demand. The Seigenthaler experience shows that you must provide me this information."

"Secondly, I demand that your people contact me immediately so that we together can verify what is true and what is not true at your site. No one in her or her right mind does what you all do - passing off as 'fact' certain anonymous allegations on your web site that no one has vetted in any reasonable fashion. When I tried to correct some of them recently, Wikipedia removed my corrections treating them as 'vandalism.' The person who delighted in telling me that is the head of 'Wikipedian Atheists.' What a surprise. You have twenty days to comply with this demand."

Thompson's e-mail further claims that he has suffered "compensable harm" based on the Wiki entry and that he intends to file a libel suit if his demands are not met.

Here at GamePolitics, we take note of the following bizarre threat received in e-mail on March 10th. It was also cc'd to several game journalists. The subject line simply says, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. You're next, Mr. McCauley." The only information in the body is a link to Thompson's locked-down Wiki entry.


From: Jack Thompson
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 1:25 PM
To: [e-mail]; Aaron McKenna; Curt Feldman; Tor Thorsen; Brendan Sinclair; mattsaunderson

Subject: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. You're next, Mr. McCauley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_(attorney)

Jack Thompson, Attorney
Land line: 305-xxx-xxxx, Cell: 305-xxx-xxxx
xxxx South Dixie Hwy, Suite 111
Coral Gables, FL USA 33146 [e-mail]

GP: I'm not quite sure what to make of this menacing e-mail. I can say that I resent the hell out of its implications and that neither this site nor its editor will be bullied or silenced.

[Initech]

1. Fuck this guy and his attempts to take away our 1st amendment rights.

:grr:

[crispini]

2. Can you post a link to the original article?

It sounds interesting.

[baldguy]

3. Doesn't say it's locked

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_%28attorney%29

[crispini]

4. Actually, I meant the original Game Politics article

Which I went and found on my own but which the OP does not reference at all. It's kind of not cool to post things you find elsewhere on the internet without a link to the original article.

http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/228672.html

[kay1864]

5. What a loony.

I saw the subject, and thought, "is that the Capitol Hill Blue guy?". Instead I find he's just some fundie with a bad hairpiece. Who cares what he thinks?

(oops, now he'll probably sue me...)