Internet company fights back over Yahoo gossip

A US-based retail trade exchange, Itex, is suing 100 people for allegedly posting defamatory comments about the company on Yahoo's financial message board.

Itex says comments made earlier this year were untrue and damaged the company and shareholders. One Yahoo user claimed the Itex management were "blind, stupid and incompetent", while another spread rumours that company executives were "party to a wrongful termination suit".

The company is now suing the 100 "unknown persons" in an attempt to find out their identity. Yahoo has refused to give up the registration details of the defendents and says it will only do so if forced by subpoena.

Observers have noted that even if Itex manages to get hold of the information it may find it hard to trace people as their email addresses could easily be forged.

A spokesman for Itex told Silicon News the action was being brought against the unknown persons for "intentional interference with economic relationships and civil conspiracy".

Only last week agricultural firm, AgriBioTech, saw its share price tumble after a Yahoo message board user claimed the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. The rumour proved to be untrue, but AgriBioTech lost 25 per share of its share price.

The Itex spokesman declined to comment on whether the company's stock price had been affected by the comments, but he claimed Itex's aim was to seal an injunction stopping the defendants from attacking the company again.