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*TROLL TRACKER SUED*

By Two-Seventy-One Patent Blog

"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further"

- Darth Vader, Empire Strikes Back (1980)

John Ward v. Cisco Systems, Inc. (2007-2502-A), 188th District, Gregg County Texas

On February 27, John Ward filed a complaint in district court alleging defamation against Richard Frenkel (aka the Patent Troll Tracker) and Cisco. According to the complaint:

On or about October 18, 2007 Defendant Frenkel made statements to the effect that Plaintiff had conspired with others to alter the filing date on a civil complaint that Plaintiff filed on behalf of Plaintiff's client in Federal Court in the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division. Defendant alleged that Plaintiff had engaged in this felonious activity in order to create subject matter jurisdiction against the defendant named in the civil complaint. The defendant in the civil complaint was Cisco Systems, Inc., which also happened to be Defendant Frenkel's employer.

* * *

As a direct and proximate result of Defendant Frenkel's false and defamatory statements, the Plaintiff has endured shame, embarrassment, humiliation, and mental pain and anguish. Additionally, the Plaintiff has and will in the future be seriously injured in his business reputation, good name, and standing in the community, and will be exposed to the hatred, contempt, and ridicule of the public in general as well as of his business associates, clients, friends, and relatives. Consequently, the Plaintiff seeks actual damages in a sum within the jurisdictional limits of this Court.

Read/download a copy of the complaint here (link)

Reports are starting to come in from the blogosphere:

- The Prior art Blog (link)

- Robert Ambrogi (link)

- Legal Pad (Cal Law) (link)

- Legal Satyricon (link)

UPDATE: The 271 Blog received the following statement from Cisco:

"The parties have mutually agreed to make no comment on the lawsuit in question at this time. That said, we would like to underscore that the comments made in the employee's personal blog represented his own opinions and several of his comments are not consistent with Cisco's views. We continue to have high regard for the judiciary of the Eastern District of Texas and confidence in the integrity of its judges."

Full post as published by Two-Seventy-One Patent Blog on March 11, 2008 (boomark / email).