User:Blood Red Sandman/Stopp and Stopp; German law firm attempts to censor Wikipedia
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Sunday, November 1, 2009 I'm seeking comment from Jimbo and - if I'm brave - maybe Mike Godwin. Please ask before marking this abandoned again
German pro-privacy law firm Stopp and Stopp sent a "cease-and-desist" order to the English Wikipedia, relying on a German court ruling to attempt to instruct the relevant US-based non-profit to censor the user-generated online encyclopedia.
Wikinews was alerted when Mike Godwin, legal counsel for the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF), updated his status on the social networking site Facebook yesterday. In the terse message Mike Godwin, best known for the Nazi-related meme Godwin's law, remarked; "actually got a cease-and-desist letter from the German law firm Stopp and Stopp." Further remarks by Mr. Godwin indicated that Stopp and Stopp are representing a convicted murderer, released on parole, wishing his name removed from the Wikipedia article about the victim.
Stopp and Stopp's client is unknown; German law curtails publishing of details that could identify a person in such a situation. No such law is in effect in the United States, home of the WMF.
At the time of publication, the English-language Wikipedia contained 18 distinct articles in the category German murder victims. There may be more articles on German murder victims that are not correctly categorised.
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HAVE YOUR SAY
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How do you think Mike Godwin should have responded to this legal threat?
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A news report linked to from Stopp and Stopp's website links to a 2006 Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger report proving the list is incomplete. The translated title of this article, "Offender has right to anonymity" indicates that it covers a ruling by the Frankfurt District Court on new publication of the names of the murderers of Walter Sedlmayr, a Bavarian actor killed in July 1990 whose body was found in a mutilated state.
In an email response to Stopp and Stopp, Mike Godwin indicates that the Foundation does not operate, nor have assets, in Germany. He further states, "we are interested in your effort to suppress content on the English-language version of Wikipedia about the convicted murderer who is your client. It is our hope that you will approve our publication of your demand letters, which we think will inspire donors to give us more money during our annual fundraising drive."
Wikinews requested copies of correspondence from Mike Godwin, but at this time such has not been forthcoming.
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[edit] Sources
- Christian Rath "Täter hat Recht auf Anonymität". Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, October 10, 2006 ((German))
