Judge rules against Koch Industries in media hoax

Source: Kansas City Star

WICHITA | A federal judge on Monday sided with environmental pranksters behind a media hoax targeting Koch Industries Inc., upholding First Amendment protections for anonymous political speech on the Internet.

U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball in Utah tossed out a lawsuit filed by Koch Industries stemming from a bogus website and fake news release issued in December that falsely announced that the Wichita-based company was changing its financial commitments on climate change to fund more environmentally friendly groups. Koch's lawsuit had sought monetary damages as well as the identities of the pranksters.

Kimball also issued an order prohibiting Koch — one of the nation's largest privately held companies — from using any identifying information it may have already obtained from an earlier subpoena on the company that had unwittingly hosted the fake website for a few hours before it was taken down.

"Before authorizing subpoenas seeking to strip speakers of their First Amendment right to anonymity, courts require plaintiffs to make a preliminary showing that their complaint has merit," the judge wrote.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/05/09/2863193/judge-rules-against-koch-industries.html

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Yes, one for the little guy!

Will the Koch's ever care about anything but that psychotic reaching for ever more power? They're like something out of a sci-fi novel. "Forever Future Evil"

They dishes it out all over the place, then whine like Petulant Porkers when they get a little prank sent their way...

wild unprincipled greedy piggy (R)

gazillions I think.

What is this picture?

The nocturnal gregarious Wild swine

They must need to know where to send the mop up crew?

than "fake news release on website," doesn't it? Plays into the RW paranoia about liberal media, too. (Hey, some of them really believe that.)

Something fake posted on an internet website. I hope Henny Penny is all over that.

They have succeeded as spreading even more bad press about themselves.

I'm sure they will turn it to their advantage,feeding into the grievance politics that are the Tea Party's most potent recruiting tool (as well as that of every other fascist movement in history). The liberal judges are persecuting real Americans, rise up and take your country back, yadda yadda yadda.

"suck it dry you F@#$$%^'s":rofl: :yourock: :headbang: :fistbump:

A company that pushes for a SCOTUS ruling allowing anonymous, unlimited political donations (on the grounds that their free speech rights have been violated) files a lawsuit in which they ask for their so-called offenders to be identified and have their free speech rights violated.

Oh, irony, you never let us down...

These guys always have a seperate set of rules for themselves.

They hate big gov't . . . hate it . . . until they get pranked and then they run straight to the nanny state.

Typical.

The government is their "enemy." Until they want to try to use it to get their own way. Hypocrites.

I'd not heard of this lawsuit or the prank. The evil is that they object to the things said about them in the news release.

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/45044630

It ain't over yet!!!

K & R

This is why they want to take it away from us. So they can do whatever they want and not have to apologize or even make amends.

Billionaires never lose.

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Seriously.

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Signed, David Koch.

how full of oneself one needs to be to file a lawsuit merely because one got punked? A corollary question is why are there fewer conservative comedians than black NHL players?

:kick:

:applause:

Nice to see when the deep pocket oil billionaires can't buy & bully their way to getting their way. Besides, no sense of humor on their part. I saw the hoax website - it was funny!