] Cease and desist letters can make such spurious claims ] and overreaching demands because they are not official ] legal filings and there has been, as yet, little ] accountability for their abuses. Even though recipients ] may have the legal right to engage in the threatened ] activity (in this case the facilitation of free speech), ] those without specialized legal expertise and a solid ] defense fund most non-corporate recipients ] may simply comply with the letter's demands out of ] fear, uncertainty and lack of resources. The Interz0ne ] conference organizers hardly had the time to even react ] to their cease and desist letter, which Blackboard sent ] on the eve of the students scheduled presentation. A very good analysis. Again, I believe that knowingly sending overboard cease and desist letters should be a crime bearing significant punitive liability. Wealthy entities will continue to chill speech in their interests until this is resolved. Analysis of the Blackboard Case |