Recently, it was reported that Aaron Wall, author of the number one ranked search engine optimization guide, SEO Book, was recently sued by Traffic-Power for comments made on his blog concerning the company filing the suit.
*Correction* Initially, I reported that Aaron had removed the offending comment posts in order to placate Traffic-Power. This is incorrect. Aaron has not removed any comments being referenced in the filing. Further, Aaron has decided to stand up for what he feels is a free speech issue and has decided to fight the Traffic-Power lawsuit.
However, when the post about the filing was made, Aaron did say that if Traffic-Power would have contacted him about these posts, he might have considered removing the offending posts. Suffice to say, these niceties are at an end.
Spurred out by a large outcry of support, Aaron has made the decision to fight the lawsuit, and is actively seeking legal donations in order to assist him with potential legal costs. To explain his position as to why he decided to fight, Aaron mentions the amount of interest and coverage the lawsuit received. He also points to a Danny Sullivan post saying he did not see anything “remotely approaching what [Danny would] view as trade secrets.” Trade secret disclosure is one of the items listed on Traffic-Power’s suit against Aaron.
In his post detailing his decision to fight and his request for legal donations, Aaron indicates this case is bigger than just Traffic-Power versus SEOBook.com. He is very vehement about the fact this suit is about free speech, which Aaron feels is the “very fabric that holds the web and democracy together.” By him not facing Traffic-Power’s suit, Aaron believes when this happens to the next person, it will easier for them to be taken advantage of.
Aaron also provides details about the legal advice he’s been getting, and while he has been offered pro-bono representation, he was also advised to secure the rights of a commercial lawyer from Las Vegas (where Traffic-Power is located and where they filed their suit). His post goes on to say that if legal donations exceed the amount he requires, Aaron will donate the rest to organizations like the EFF, ACLU, and Public Citizen.
While Aaron indicates the Traffic-Power suit is an assualt on free speech, Traffic-Power apparently made their complaint out to seem like trade secrets had been revealed in these posts, hence the Danny Sullivan statements.
If you would like to donate to Aaron’s cause, you can follow the PayPal donation button on this post.
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for murdok. Visit murdok for the latest search news.
