Removing link directory links due to legal threat

I got this email today:

The site on which the text appears is a link directory. It is in a link supplied by a user. This user paid $5 to have their link listed. As such, I don't want to remove the link just because someone said I needed to. However, I did some work for a Dr. once, and I am aware that there are various laws concerning medical claims. I'm in Minnesota and have a legal defense budget of about three cents and some pocket lint.

So, what to do? Protect the integrity of the directory and refuse to remove the link? Remove the link even though the person paid for a featured placement? Or some middle ground action like giving these bozos the email address of the link submitter so they can get him to contact me about changing the link? Would giving someone's email address out in a case like this be considered breach of privacy?

 

I would redo the link and take the claims out of the link. The person who paid for the link is at fault and has no right to make false claims. The company has every right to demand you take the false claims off site because they could be sued and you will be sued.


Your site should state you can change links if needed.

 

The link has to be modified to comply with the request of the parent company. This is a matter of law. They must do this and you must do the same.

Now how you handle it is up to you. This is not a battle I would choose to fight with deep pockets. Three cents and lint isn't deep. Well deep do-do maybe.

I would suspend the link and contact the purchaser. Tell them it is staying suspended until you have a confirmation that the new copy meets the standards. Or just refund the money and come out a few thousand ahead.

 

Just refund the $5 to the customer and take the link down if the purchaser is unwilling to modify it.

Is a $5 link worth this much trouble? The time and money spent on a legal battle could be spent promoting your directory, which would make you much more money in the long run.

 

just listened to a piece on NPR last night about Mannatech and their health benefits claim. Basic gist of the story was that Mannatech needed to reword all of their media to take out any health benefit claims.

So the letter is legit.

More than likely the original person who bought the link was using what at the time was standard Manatech jargon. My guess is that they wouldn't have any problems with fixing the text in question to comply with new quidelines.

More than likely the link buyer doesn't care that much about the link text but the backlink. As long as that stays in place everybody's happy.