cyberSLAPP

(CYBER Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) A lawsuit designed to prevent free expression. A cyberSLAPP is the Internet version of a SLAPP, which was coined in the 1996 book "SLAPPs: Getting Sued for Speaking Out" by George Pring and Penelope Canan. The cyberSLAPP lawsuit is filed by a person or company against the publisher of a blog, social media post or online article that contains opposing views or criticism. By creating perpetual legal delays after initiation, a cyberSLAPP is often used to intimidate or bankrupt the defendant even if there is no chance of ever winning the case. See Internet troll and patent troll.

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Spencer, Cyberslapp Suits and John Doe Subpoenas: Balancing Anonymity and Accountability in Cyberspace, 19 J.

(8) CyberSLAPPs, on the other hand, are baseless lawsuits that corporations, politicians, or others bring to silence critics engaged in constitutionally protected political speech online.

(15) In analyzing cyberSLAPPs, however, this Note will advocate for robust antiSLAPP laws to protect anonymous political speech against powerful interests.

CyberSLAPPs are the latest incarnation of SLAPPs, which are frivolous lawsuits masquerading as defamation cases brought against someone who speaks out on a matter of public concern.

Maintaining the mask of the First Amendment: procedural and legislative approaches to protecting anonymous online speech

CyberSLAPP context, the individual or organization who has been

reviews were anonymous may find themselves as litigants in a CyberSLAPP

CyberSLAPP cases involve a person who has anonymously criticized a

Compulsory process in cyberspace: rethinking privacy in the social networking age

Spencer, Note, Cyberslapp Suits and Jon Doe Subpoenas: Balancing

Bullies in a wired world: the impact of cyberspace victimization on adolescent mental health and the need for cyberbullying legislation in Ohio

For an extensive list of American cyber-SLAPP cases, see cyberSLAPP.org, "Don't chill online freedom of expression", online: <http://www.cyberslapp.org/search/>.

The medium is not the message: reconciling reputation and free expression in cases of Internet defamation

Comment, Cybersmear or CyberSLAPP: Analyzing Defamation Suits Against

John Doe subpoenas: toward a consistent legal standard

(@) Read more about cyberSLAPP lawsuits by visiting SM Online.

The coalition, which includes the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Privacy Information Center, sent a letter to more than 100 TSPs and Internet discussion boards, asking them to preserve the right to anonymous speech which, they say, is threatened by "cyberSLAPPs" (SLAPP stands for Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation), where companies that have been criticized file sometimes frivolous lawsuits to expose the identity--and chill the activities--of their critics.