The Citizen Media Law Project has launched a Web site that collects information on the growing number of lawsuits, cease-and-desist letters, and other legal challenges to online speech.
The Legal Threats Database can be accessed at www.citmedialaw.org/database. It permits anyone to input entries, comment on existing entries, and search the database. Its self-proclaimed aim is to provide lawyers, mainstream media, and others with resources for assessing the validity and potential outcomes of legal actions taken against online speech based on actual cases and legal actions. The database already contains hundreds of entries from 35 states and 9 countries.
The Citizen Media Law Project says the Legal Threats Database represents the start of a multifaceted project the group will roll out over the next several months, including state-based legal guides for citizen and nontraditional journalists, which will focus on issues such as defamation, news gathering, access to government information, and intellectual property.
The group is affiliated with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School and the Center for Citizen Media.