Magic Jack Tries, Fails To Shut Up Boing Boing > Companies use lawsuits to shut up critics all the time

reply to Karl Bode

Re: Companies use lawsuits to shut up critics all the time

said by Karl Bode:

Yes clearly the lesson to be learned here is that Magic Jack just sued the wrong people, not that the suit itself was idiotic, or that trying to silence legitimate criticism usually backfires.

Just one more reason to redefine corporations for what they are - headless sociopaths with no criminal liability. A $50,000 settlement (or judgement) feels like a slap on the wrist for these entities. But to you and I - it is financial ruin.

It would never happen, but perhaps something that would do nicely in situations such as these: the judge specifies a "compensation amount". Then the income of the defendant is ratioed to the income of the claimant suing them. That ratio is applied to the compensation amount and awarded to the defendant. Big entity sues little guy? Little guy wins? Entity pays out the ass, and little guy receives compensation beyond just their legal bills.

It would provide incentive for big guys to make sure they've got a case before going off suing anyone that pisses them off.

Just wishful thinking. . .
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Tradition: Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid. --despair.com

reply to fAcEtIOUs
I thought you were against regulation?
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reply to fireflier
It will only never happen if people keep insisting it will never happen. We have nothing to fear but fear itself.