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Newspaper Sues Nebraska Fan Over Fake Online Article


fan says sorry

The Oklahoma Publishing Co. and a sports writer for the Oklahoman are suing a Nebraska football fan that confessed to writing a bogus online article about two University of Oklahoma quarterbacks.

The 10-count civil lawsuit says James W. Conradt committed libel, copyright violations and trademark infringements.

Conradt apologized about the fake article and said he it was meant to be a joke. "I am sorry for any trouble this has caused," Conradt said in a statement on www.darthhusker.com. "A link to this site was posted on a Husker fan discussion board. I have decided to take down my entire Husker site. Please consider this to be an official retraction and correction."

Conradt posted an article on the Internet July 9 that falsely stated University of Oklahoma quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Landry Jones had been arrested for intent to distribute cocaine, according to the lawsuit.

Conradt put a link to the article on his Web site and an online sports forum.

The lawsuit alleges that Conradt used Oklahoman sports writer Jake Trotter's byline and other trademarks to make the fake Internet article look legitimate.

The lawsuit asks for unspecified financial damages and for a federal judge to order Conradt not to misuse the publisher's trademarks in the future. It also asks Conradt to write a report stating how he will comply with the order.

Conradt, 36, is a Nebraska fan who works in the information technology department at the University of Texas.

 

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About the author:
Mike is a staff writer for WebProNews.

Comments

interesting

Is this the new form of spam or slander?  How is it going to be controled?

You can tell he was an

You can tell he was an amateur newsman since the news people know how to slant/obliterate the truth and hide behind their "unnamed source".

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