beware of ids on the internet. companies are starting to go after people behind the posts.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo as always.
Western Wind pursuing another Stockhouse user
2012-07-27 13:50 ET - Street Wire
by Mike Caswell
Western Wind Energy Corp. and its president, Jeff Ciachurski, have filed another petition in the Supreme Court of British Columbia looking to identify a Stockhouse user. The petition claims that a user named "Ancsababy" created 11 false messages, among them one that read, "Jeff steals our money and the company." Western Wind says that Stockhouse, as an "innocent, but involved, third party" enabled the communications. The petition asks for an order compelling the site to provide identifying information for "Ancsababy."
The petition is the second that Western Wind has filed in the past two months over defamatory posts on Stockhouse. A previous filing in May sought help identifying posters "j_mart" and "patheticnews." According to Western Wind, "j_mart" created posts that implied Mr. Ciachurski was a crook and was intentionally manipulating the company's price. The company has not yet identified "j_mart," but it has determined that "patheticnews" is a customer of Telus Corp., and is seeking a court order that would compel assistance from Telus.
Western Wind's petition to identify "Ancsababy," filed at the Vancouver courthouse on July 13, 2012, complains about a series of posts that appeared between April 25, 2012, and June 28, 2012. The messages, which are quoted in an affidavit, implied that Mr. Ciachurski had mismanaged the company and had manipulated the stock price.
One, dated June 26, 2012, read: "If WND is a great company, why they always abuse the shareholders? ...Something is really wrong this company and this management." A post the next day titled "Bankruptcy" read: "What do you think? Is it a possible scenario? Will it be a huge dilution?"
Other messages questioned management's abilities. One, dated April 27, 2012, stated: "The market doesn't believe for this company. Why do this when they late all projects and deadlines. If we got a new reliable management we would get another chance from market."
Mr. Ciachurski, in an affidavit, complains that the posts had a negative effect on his reputation and that they caused financial damage to him and Western Wind. "The Posts both directly and indirectly imply ... Western Wind is poorly managed, irresponsible, vindictive, and that I am dishonest, trying to steal the company, incompetent and intentionally manipulating the stock price," the affidavit states.
According to the petition, Western Wind asked that Stockhouse remove the posts and that it provide identifying information for "Ancsababy." The site deleted the posts, but said it would require a court order for the identifying information. Western Wind says it has no practical way to identify the user, and asks that the court enter an order directing Stockhouse to release the information.