Recently, a blog named “Harvard Law Unbound,” which had a disclaimer at top informing people it had no affiliation with “Unbound: Harvard Journal of the Legal Left,” claimed there was an organized effort underway to silence it, most likely due to its calls for protest against Attorney General Eric Holder at Harvard tomorrow due to his stonewalling of the Fast and Furious investigation.
Today the blog began receiving multiple claims it was infringing upon the official journal’s use-of-name rights — seemingly false accusations alleged to have also been spread by Harvard Law School Dean of Students, Ellen Cosgrove.
Blogger and Associate Clinical Professor William Jacobson, Cornell Law School, has beencovering the story for a week, or more. As of now, Harvard Law Unbound has been taken down.
I reported last night on plans to protest via posters on campus the appearance of Eric Holder tomorrow at Harvard Law School regarding the Fast and Furious controversy. At the end of my post last night I joked:
I wonder how long they will stay up. And how long before half of the Justice Department is tasked with unmasking the force behind Harvard Law Unbound.
William Jacobson has written to Cosgrove inquiring as to what took place and why she supported what appears to be a false claim of use-of-name infringement by a Harvard Journal. To the extent she did, it would appear she may have supported an effort directed at silencing free speech and the right to protest at Harvard Law.
Dear Dean Cosgrove:
As you may be aware, I have been covering the protest at the website Harvard Law Unbound regarding Eric Holder.
I am aware of your letter to students in which you say, among other things,
Whoever is responsible for the wordpress site is free to disseminate his/her/their content via any number of legitimate means or channels. But I wish to make sure that no one is confused about whose speech, and whose content, is being advanced on the wordpress site, which appears to be infringing on the use-of-name rights belonging to Unbound and to Harvard Law School.
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