Anonymous Twitter users won a round in federal court when a judge ruled that their criticism of a music company and its CEO were protected under the First Amendment. The Twitter users had posted tweets saying that the company’s products were designed to break prematurely, the company encourages domestic violence and that the CEO engages in prostitution. The company, Music Group Macao Commercial Offshore Ltd., received permission from the Seattle Federal Court to find the Twitter users’ identity, but U.S. District Judge Laurel Beeler ruled that the unmasking of the defendants would chill free speech. (Courthouse News Service, March 9, 2015, by Philip A. Janquart)
Twitter will not be forced to reveal the users’ names as Beeler explained the court’s decision, “The challenged speech here consists mainly of flatly derogatory statements about Music Group’s CEO, and, apparently to a lesser degree, some criticism of the company’s products that likely constitutes legitimate commercial criticism.” Beeler said that while much of the commentary was tasteless and crass, it was clearly a rant or comedic and would not be taken seriously by the viewer. (Hollywood Reporter, March 4, 2015, by Eriq Gardner)