FRIVOLOUS

Playboy Sues Website for Linking to Archive Posted by Someone Else

Lawsuit against Boing Boing seeks millions in damages.

Playboy is suing the website Boing Boing for apparently linking to an archive of the magazine that was posted by someone else. According to Boing Boing, Playboy filed the lawsuit a few weeks ago without notifying Boing Boing. “Playboy’s lawsuit is based on an imaginary (and dangerous) version of US copyright law that bears no connection to any US statute or precedent,” the site said in a statement. “Playboy—once legendary champions for the First Amendment—now advances a fringe copyright theory: that it is illegal to link to things other people have posted on the web, on pain of millions in damages—the kinds of sums that would put us (and every other small publisher in America) out of business.” Boing Boing filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit Thursday.