--- Dan Drake <dd(a)dandrake.com> wrote:
No. I'm using the legal system this week, if
the lawyer who's handling my [civil matter,
none of
your business, not expected to be litigious] is
ready for another conference. I admit this in
the full
expectation of not being banned from Wikipedia
for handling my own affairs. Is your question
deliberately misleading, or is it just
looseness of expression?
Misleading? No. Probably it was looseness of
expression.
New question: Is using the legal system to
settle Wikipedia disputes and vendettas
bannable
behavior?
Answer: How can you ask? Of course it is. Take
it from an Americocentrist in litigious
America:
you don't want to go there.
From below the thread starts becoming silly.
Don't continue reading if you don't have time to
waste.
Bad-User-1 may post libel or personal information
against Crazy-User-2 on Wikipedia pages. The
nature of the libel and the information is such
that in a lawsuit against Bad-User-1,
Crazy-User-2 could win immediatelly.
Crazy-User-2 has two options: Either ask
Wikipedians to remove the libel and personal info
from public view and ban Bad-User-1 or fill a
lawsuit. The first option is, of course, the
best, but Crazy-User-2 is a bit crazy and is
willing to spend money and time for fun.
Crazy-User-2 also wishes to "test" their new
lawyer. Crazy-User-2 chooses to fill a lawsuit.
Without involving Wikimedia Foundation,
Crazy-User-2 finds Bad-User-1. Crazy-User-2 fills
a lawsuit against Bad-User-1.
Wikimedia Foundation knows nothing about the
lawsuit. Bad-User-1 didn't threatened in public
Crazy-User-2 with a lawsuit. Nobody, except the
lawyers and the two users, know anything.
Bad-User-1 sends an email to Wikimedia Foundation
asking to ban Crazy-User-2 from Wikipedia because
of the lawsuit: "Hi! Crazy-User-2 just filled a
libel lawsuit against me! Crazy-User-2 is a bad
person! Please ban Crazy-User-2! Thanks!"
The lawsuit does not involve Wikimedia Foundation
or Wikipedia in any way. Nobody asked Wikimedia
Foundation to give information about any user.
Other Wikipedians would know nothing if the email
was not sent.
Will Crazy-User-2 get banned?
Note that this is a different case than if the
lawsuit involved Wikimedia Foundation (for
example. asking the developers to disclose
information such as IP addresses etc).
This is only a theoretical discussion, mostly to
see our reasoning on some scenarios. And, hey,
Don't take this discussion too seriously! :)
--Optim
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