Legal Question in Intellectual Property in California

Using a persons name in a public forum and book

I have posted a story on a public forum about a Marijuana grow a few of us were involved with back in 1980. Some of us did our time and others ran. One reason for the post is in efforts to locate others involved in the venture as the story is now indexed and searchable in the search engines.

Mentioning a person name will help others in my search for these people and make their name indexed and linked to the story in the search engines.

The story can be seen by visiting this link: http://www.overgrow.com/edge/showthread.php?t=456612

Up to now I have only mentioned first names.

In efforts to locate individuals could I be held liable for mentioning their full names in the public forum threads? This story may take book form - if it does the same question applies.

Thank you


Asked on 1/05/05, 12:14 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Timothy J. Walton Internet Attorney

Re: Using a persons name in a public forum and book

If everything you say about a person is true, it is hard to imagine that the person could sue you (unless the person is now famous, or you made an agreement to keep certain information confidential). However, your tale is a special case, involving criminal activity, and you should not be seeking legal advice on the Internet. Hire an attorney (with malpractice insurance) who can research and give you a specific yes or no. What you want is a "letter of opinion", particularly if you are planning to sell a book.

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Answered on 1/13/05, 12:03 pm


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