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Dozier Internet Law, PC, those legal beagles in charge of the Cuppy's Coffee and DirectBuy catastrophes, didn't start there.

Thanks to dEarth / dx, I learned about their attempt to get seven million dollars from a website for criticizing "Manchester Who's Who."

From the article that inspired the lawsuit:

She asked, “Will you be using your membership for networking or credibility?”

I explained that I would probably be using it for both. “Being I high school drop-out, I have always had to struggle with public opinion on my credibility…”

$7,000,000. Hahaha. That's even better that "Bull," "Cyber Lawyer," or "Super Lawyer."

God bless you, John "$7,000,000" Dozier. You bring the smile to the face of everyone you threaten.

Dozier Internet Law is a "cyber law firm"that specializes in litigation related to the internet. For background, see the Cuppy's Coffee and DirectBuy case studies. However, as "cyber lawyers" the guys at Dozier clearly pay a lot of attention to the internet, as well.

While John Dozier has a blog, he rarely updates it. Instead, he appears to use his company's website to pen "news" entries. John's last message allowed us to link to it. The current one, titled "Scofflaw Bloggers," does not have such a "yes you may link to this page" notice. Therefore, links throughout this post to not go to any of John's websites, out of respect for him, but rather other sources of information about the company.

"Scofflaw Bloggers" provides a taxonomy of "persona[e] and motivation[s]" that have "arisen and infiltrated the mainstream blogosphere" since CDA SS 230. The post appears to be in reaction to criticism of Dozier from internet news sources (Ars Technica, Boing Boing, Patry, Esq, Public Citizen, Slashdot, Turkewitz, Esq, etc.). The ten types, a brief quote from Dozier's descriptions, the qualities described, and a commentary as to whether they fit me are included below.

Are you a scofflaw blogger? Take the test by googling Dozier Scofflaw Bloggers and find out ...

At http://www.cybertriallawyer-sucks.com/, is the latest inivtation for Dozier Internet Law to test it's strange interpretation of free speech rights. While not as sublte as similar efforts by Public Citizen, I Hate Linux, or whatithink, or as intellectual as Bill Patry (Google's copyright big-wig)'s take, the site is nonetheless another follow-up to Dozier's strange lawsuits on behalf of DirectBuy and Inventor-Link.

Dozier, J.W., Jr. (2005). Nastrygrams: Don't let a "legal letter" ruin your day. Practical Ecommerce, page 21, November 2005.

An important question to ask about the DirectBuy threat letter (written by attorney Donald Morris of Dozier Internet Law) is this: is it serious. Is DirectBuy perhaps pulling our leg? Is Dozier Internet Law misuing cease-and-desist letters to have a chuckle?

Here to answer the question: John Dozier, President of Dozier Internet Law, P.C. John gives several criteria to help determine whether that or not you should "ignore the notice":

• First, take a took at who wrote the letter
  Conclusion: the DirectBuy threat letter is written by a law firm that does not emphasize American law. As most readers of this blog are Americans, Dozier's letters are quite possibly irrelevent.



• Second, review the content of the demand letter in detail
  Does it have attachments and details showing significant effort invested in composing the letter and evaluating the merits of the claim being asserted?
  
  Conclusion: No. Dozier Internet Law uses a standard template to generate cease-and-desist letters.



• Third, who is complaining about your conduct
  Be particularly careful in dealing with any communications from competitors because this seems to be the most likely source of aggressive litigation
  
  Conclusion, DirectBuy is suing a consumer information site, and not a competitor.



• Fourth, if you have not made much money from the alleged misconduct, it is less likely to become a real issue than if you have been making a lot of money.
  If the use of such intellectual property was highly profitable, beware and be prepared because you are more likely to get sued.
  
  The individual DirectBuy is suing a blogger who operates on a shoe-string, a "highly profitable" operation is unlikely.

Grand Conclusion: According to John's "general observations and not [his] legal advice," don't "cancel that tee time."

Do you want to have your reputation ruined, pay a million dollar fine, and in general tick everyone off? If so, Dozier Internet Law is the law firm for you! But if the thought of being in the presence of "Super Lawyer" John "Bull" Dozier is too intimidating, you can examine the form that Dozier seems to use to wreck their clients. (Just note that Dozier thinks US law likely will not govern the matter!

Our friend Donald E. Morris of Dozier Internet Law (presumably not a "super-lawyer" like his boss, John W. Dozier, Jr.,) is at it again. After threatening Infomercial Scams over its warnings against DirectBuy, now DonJohn is attacking Inventor Ed for statements on Inventor-Link.

This post compares the DirectBuy and Inventor-Link threat letters. The sections below are in order, except for "Legitimate Free Speech" which floats between the letters.

Section: "Please be advised"

DirectBuy

Please be advised that our firm has been retained by DirectBuy, Inc. to investigate and take legal action against you for the series of unwarranted and defamatory attacks against it made by you and your visitors on your various websites. Specifically, these websites are www.infomercialblog.com, www.infomercialratings.com, and www.infomercialscams.com.

Inventor-Link:

Please be advised that our firm has been retained by Inventor-Link, LLC to investigate and take legal action against you for engaging in the following activities (1) defamation of our client, (2) tortious (sic) interference with our client’s business; and (3) violation of our client’s website User Agreement.

If you had any doubt about the good sense of Dozier Internet Law, read this comment.

Here's the first paragraph:

First, you seem to think that US law will govern this copyright matter. It likely will not.

While I'm glad that "John W. Dozier Jr, Esq." agrees that it's unlikely that an American court will give a serious hearing to his claims, John's threats of extra-legal actions are chilling. Not just in the chilling sense. But in the virus sense.

No one asked that anti-Cuppy’s postings be removed from Blue Mau Mau, said Don Sniegowski, who started the franchise blogsite Blue Mau Mau in Salt Lake City in November, 2005. But at about the same time, “someone inserted a malicious piece of software into our program, which took down our entire Web site for a 12-hour period and kept it going on and off for a few days,” he said. Sniegowski told Franchise Times this summer that he still doesn’t know who planted the software.

The same thread includes a post by Ronald Riley of Inventor Ed. How did Inventor Ed get involved in the subject?

They've been SLAPP'd by Dozier, too!

One of the hardest things about following the John Dozier scandal (well, the latest scandal, with DirectBuy -- I've only done one post each on their handling of the SecureComputer and CuppyCoffee suits is the scale of the blogosphere's response.

Besides Sean's summary of DirectBuy's malfeasance, a whole slew of blogs picked up the Ars Technica summary:

Blue's News
Corporate critics feel the stinging lash of DMCA misuse.

Digg, Electronics Almanace, and Technology Owl:
Two recent cases show that companies aren't always fans of criticism, and some will file misguided DMCA notices and defamation cases to scrub it from the Internet.

Techno Blogo
...a company called DirectBuy (perhaps you've seen their infomercials on TV) accused the owner of infomercialscams.com of defaming it by allowing critical postings that label the company a "scam" or a "nightmare."...

That's it for now!

I Hate Linux has a fascinating article, which was also featured on the Jim River Report, on Dozier Internet Law.... before their meltdown on the DirectBuy threats, before they so damaged Cuppy's Coffee's reputation that CC needed to higher a P.R. firm.... there was Secure Computer, LLC.

The case featured all the usual nonsense from Dozier. Just like they publiclly squabble with blogs while DirectBuy's reputation suffers, they issued press releases in the SecureComputer case. In separate suits, Microsoft and the State of Washington sued Secure Computer," so Secure Computer made the mistake of contracting Dozier Internet Law.

If you've been reading this blog over the past few days, you know what a mistake that is.

Secure Computer's nightwmare continues, as the Microsoft case drags on. But SecureComputer already had to pull its product from the market and pay one million dollars to the State of Washington.

In a discussion forum on this blog, former Dozier law firm employees complained about the bad working environment at the company. With victories like SecureComputer, Cuppy's Coffee, and DirectBuy under their belt, no wonder Dozier employees are not happy!