Nam Tai Dismisses Lawsuit Against Internet Poster

For Immediate Release-- April 2, 2003

As a result of a pre-trial settlement conference, Nam Tai Electronics, a publicly traded, Hong Kong-based manufacturer, has dismissed its suit against an online message board poster. The dismissal came suddenly and unexpectedly near the eve of trial, following a court-ordered settlement conference.

We are only aware of one case in which claims of a message board poster has actually gone to trial.  Nearly all are dismissed early on, raising questions about the plaintiff's true intent in bringing suit in the first place. In the Nam Tai case, both the plaintiff and the defendent dismissed their claims and counterclaims, respectively, following a settlement conference.  Mr. Les L. French, AIF's former president and former executive director, and who volunteers in the Office Of The Self-Represented to assist unrepresented defendants, reported that the settlement basically ended the case without fanfare and without compensation to any party. Mr. French estimated that Nam Tai probably spent $50,000 to $100,000 in its abandoned prosecution of the case.

Last year in the New York Stock Exchange v. John Doe case, the New York Stock Exchange dismissed its claims against an internet poster who used the alias "richard_grasso" on an online account. The account alias was similar to the name of NYSE's chairman, Richard Grasso. NYSE sued for trademark infringement and defamation-related claims, among other claims.  NYSE dismissed their suit the eve before trial after a federal judge criticized Nam Tai's complaint when ruling on a motion for summary judgment.

A similar New York case more than a year earlier involved Value Line, Inc., a New York investment advisory company, which abandoned claims against a former employee who posted information about the company's president on the internet.

For additional information, please contact Will French at will@johndoes.org.