Copyright enforcer Righthaven's slippery-slope existence essentially ended last week when the company's assets and website slid into the hands of a court-ordered receiver to be auctioned off to cover its considerable legal fees.
VegasInc reported last Thursday that Lara Pearson, a member of Reno's Rimon Law Group, was appointed Righthaven's receiver by Judge Philip Pro. In August, Pro had ordered the so-called copyright troll to pay over $34,000 in legal fees to Wayne Hoehn, a Righthaven defendant who won his case.
Pearson told the news site that she was uncertain exactly when and where she would register the site for sell-off. A few days later, both questions were answered. Righthaven.com was listed at website auctionhouse SnapNames on Monday.
Its current asking price: $1,250, with 10 days left.
The blog RighthavenVictims, which chronicles the group's aggressive legal tactics, was hesitant to put on a party hat and break out the streamers.
"Righthaven LLC tends to mimic the ancient Phoenix rising from the ashes," site creator Colleen Lynn told MyCE in an email. "It's unclear what will result from the current and upcoming intellectual property auctions and high stakes legal maneuvers."
Considering the ill-will sowed by the company during its tumultuous tenure, potential bidders may be interested in reaping some payback. Imagine Righthaven.com as a piracy hub, or a First Amendment-protected parody site. Lynn, however, said that she'd like to see it turned into an educational archive that documents the "ongoing convergence of copyrights and the Internet."
As for RighthavenVictims, Lynn promised the blog will carry on until Righthaven CEO Steve Gibson is disbarred: "Current and future Gibson-type lawyers need a strong deterrent if choosing to follow his path. Disbarment is a sufficient deterrent." (via Techdirt)
What would you do with the site? Let us know in the comment section.
