We all know just how bad the RIAA and MPAA have become, but just when you thought no one could do any worse -- you get to read an article like this one. Video Professor is best known for touting "free" computer training CDs via infomercials and has received some rather negative reviews on infomercialscams.com. Once the nutty professor got wind of this, the shit hit the fan as per this page: http://www.infomercialscams.com/video_professor.htm

Most of the reviews appearing on infomercialratings.com and infomercialscams.com are negative. On July 20, 2007, they received several letters from the president of Video Professor, Bettye Harrison. On September 6, 2007, infomercialratings.com's Nevada office was served with a court ordered subpoena and two checks for $40.81 each. The checks are supposed to cover expenses for time and resources. Video Professor attorney Gregory C. Smith, Esq. is the name listed on the subpoena. A judge has given permission for the subpoena to be served. The subpoena demands all consumer comments about Video Professor, including any identifying information (IP addresses, physical addresses, names, emails, phone, etc.)

Video professor claims that certain customers have violated trademark and defamation laws by criticizing their services.

A direct quote from the Video Professor website reads, "Any company can say good things about its own product, but the real proof of product quality is when customers speak out about its excellence." Ironically, Video Professor is suing its own customers, despite the aforementioned quote.

More information about this story -- including pdf copies of the various letters and legal documentation can be seen on the before mentioned url. This is an amazing violation of First Amendment Rights above and beyond what the RIAA and MPAA have even ever dared to do.

In fact -- if all accounts on infomercialratings.com and infomercialscams.com are 100% accurate -- they can be sued for making that url available. I can be sued for submitting this article and voicing my opinions on the situation. Shmoo can be sued because he's an Article Admin on Boycott RIAA. Tracy and Leflaw can be sued because they own Boycott RIAA. Anyone who replies to this article with a comment that is unfavorable towards video professor can be sued for it.

Hiel fuckin' Hitler! What is our judicial system coming to these days?! This is truly ridiculous when inalienable human rights can be so easily violated.

In related news: Another source has mentioned that these legal attacks have been ceased as per this url: http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2573

Dec. 18, 2007

‘Video Professor’ Backs Off Attempt to Unmask Internet Critics

First Amendment Protects Web Site Operator Represented by Public Citizen

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Video Professor, a Colorado firm that uses infomercials to hawk computer-training lessons, has dropped its fight to identify customers who criticized the company on two consumer Web sites, according to a motion filed in federal court.

Video Professor dropped its subpoena against InfomercialScams.com after Public Citizen objected in a letter to the company’s attorney. Among several shortcomings, the Video Professor’s suit did not meet the legal threshold necessary to force the Web site to identify anonymous critics, Public Citizen attorney Paul Alan Levy wrote in September.

The company also withdrew a similar subpoena against RipoffReport.com, which is not represented by Public Citizen. The withdrawals were part of a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. Levy hailed the company’s decision as a win, not only for Leonard Fitness, which operates the InfomercialScams.com Web site, but as a victory for free speech on the Internet.

“When you confront bullies, they often don’t have the stomach to take on fights they’re clearly not going to win.” Levy said. “The First Amendment is a powerful weapon when used against companies that would try to use the courts to muzzle their critics.”

The Video Professor offers CDs and online lessons on a wide range of computer programs and skills. Company founder John Scherer claims that 8 million people have purchased his products since he started selling instructional videos 20 years ago.

Interestingly, Scherer’s own Web site warns consumers to check out companies they don’t know by using Internet search engines to find customer reviews.

Along with withdrawing its subpoena against InfomercialScams.com, Video Professor earlier dropped a similar subpoena against InfomercialRatings.com, another Leonard Fitness site.

Although Video Professor has dropped some subpoenas in the case, it continues to seek the identities of people who it claims defamed the company on the Wikipedia Web site. Wikipedia apparently provided Video Professor with the IP addresses of people who posted on its site. It is not clear whether Wikipedia gave any notice to the people whose information was released.

The Video Professor has subpoenaed Comcast Cable for information that would reveal one of the Wikipedia posters.

Although Public Citizen does not represent Wikipedia or Comcast, Levy said the same arguments he used in defending Leonard Fitness apply.

State and federal courts throughout the country recognize the right to speak anonymously on the Internet, said Levy, who runs the Internet Free Speech program at Public Citizen. To identify anonymous critics, the Video Professor would have to show a likelihood of success on the merits of the case, which it has not, he said.

Pretty crazy stuff, eh? More about it can be read on all of the various before mentioned urls. I'll give the RIAA and MPAA this much though: at least (as far as I know) they've yet to go after someone for the sole crime of publicly voicing a negative opinion about them.

That "Video Professor" is a crook. I was billed for 4 $60 cd's in a row and had to raise all kinds of hell with him (and jump thru a ton of hoops, including mailing BACK the unasked for stuff along with the original supposedly "free" disc at my own expense) before I could get my bank account credited back the money they took out of it. (But not in time to save me from 4 separate overdraft charges alas.)

If "Video Professor" wants to sue me, let 'em.

I'll kick his ass in court!

I'm still pissed at 'em, even 3 or 4 years later!

I'd actually like to see him try to sue leflaw for having this article available. We both know who would win but for those who don't I'll give them a hint: it wouldn't be the professor. lol

-Dave

after watching the infomercials a few times when it first came out i could tell it wasn't going to be very good not to mention anything on those Cd's that you have to pay for is easily found on the Internet for "FREE".

who ever is his lawer should of already informed him that he cant win due to freedom of speach laws and should be fired.

http://www.boycott-riaa.com/article/16569

Here's a post I did a couple of years ago right after my bad experience with "Video Professor"

It's a sad statement about the world we live in, but I automatically assume that everyone is out the screw me.

Recent example:

I have used McAfee Internet Security for years...

...okay, let me pause for all the techies to chide me for using McAfee. What can I say, I've tried many others and every single one of them has caused more problems than they are worth...and I am not going near Symantic! McAfee has worked seamlessly on all of my networked computers for years without a single hitch.

I've watched as the prices for their products rise steadily and quickly year after year. They have an "Auto-renewal" that they call a security and convenience feature for the "benefit of their customers". This is a feature of which you have to specifically opt-out.

When the auto-renewal kicks in, you get charged about twice what the current price is to purchase the same product outright on their website!

Since most software provides a discount for those who are upgrading or renewing, I'm sure most of McAfee's customers just assume they are getting the lowest price and don't bother to check...and get completely ripped off!

To get the best price every year, I have to cancel the auto-renewal (and demand a refund if they have already charged me) and then repurchase the latest software from their website. Of course, once you renew manually, your account is once again setup for "auto-renewal" on your "new" package...so the process repeats the following year.

One last thing: the auto-renewal usually kicks in almost a month before the end of your current subscription. The renewal period does not begin at the end of the current subscription, it begins as of the date you were charged, giving you overlapping subscriptions which means you only get about 11 months of service as opposed to 12.

If I could find another security package that worked as well for me I would switch in a heartbeat. Until then, I will continue this dance to deny them any more than they rightfully deserve.

It seems like most big companies are more worried about trying to get as much out of each and every customer as they can, using any underhanded means possible. They don't realize they would do much better by nurturing respect with the customers they already have so they can keep them long-term.

In the rare instances when I find an honest company (usually a "Mom & Pop" place), I am always willing to pay a little more and purchase more than I intended, because I feel they deserve my money for not treating me like dirt.

I want to sue the Professor for inundating me with those annoying commercials he has. Him and the nutjobs who make Head On! They raise my annoyance level to new heights.

byteme ... "...okay, let me pause for all the techies to chide me for using McAfee." ... it's like "medwardl" said ... "anything on those Cd's that you have to pay for is easily found on the Internet for "FREE"."

This also holds true for the vast majority of software as well. I'm mostly Linux now but when I do deal with Winblowz, I've used AVG Anti-Virus (Free Edition) for years now. It's just as powerful as Mcaffe or anything you might pay for. Only, it's free. I've also used Spybot S&D for anti-spyware (though the AVG Folks do have a spyware program now, too).

Before you spend your money -- I'd advise looking first to see if theres a free program that will meet your needs... because most of the time, there is.

-Dave

"I want to sue the Professor for inundating me with those annoying commercials he has. Him and the nutjobs who make Head On! They raise my annoyance level to new heights."

The Video Professor has the same rights to free speech, too. But look on the bright side -- he's paying to speak. We're telling him that he's a stroke off for *free*

-Dave

Oh and according to those articles I submitted to you all -- dude is STILL trying to go after people on Wikipedia and elsewhere despite the courts rulings with the other stuff.

I hope he finds this article and comes after us. He'd lose against BRIAA -- not to mention -- we would be able to give him the gift that keeps on giving..

A class action lawsuit!

After losing the fight with BRIAA, how many of you that are commenting on this article would hate the idea of teaming up with leflaw in a class action against this guy?

No hands going up? No one opposed? Gee, what a shock! NOT. lol

-Dave

"I am well aware that there are several FREE online resources for learning the HTML skills, wonderfull sites like Webmonkey and Dave's Site"

Dave's Site still exist but it seems Webmonkey got spanked 404.

-Dave

Dave, thanks for the suggestion. I don't think I've tried AVG, yet. I poked around their website and didn't see a "free" version other than 30-day trials of most of their products. I'll have to take another look this evening, when I have more time.

I have tried several free products and they never seemed to work out for me. I am a TW/Roadrunner customer and they provide free AV software (EZ Armor). I tried it out and had a lot of difficulty "tweaking" it to allow me to actually use my computer and the internet. It seemed to either block everything or nothing at all. It was a royal pain.

Unfortunately, most of the other free and inexpensive AV software I have tried have brought my computer to it's knees. The only time XP has ever crashed on me was when I was dealing with one of these programs.

I finally gave up and went back to McAfee. Once you work around their little tricks to get you to pay more, their software works painlessly (at least for me.) If AVG doesn't work out for me, McAfee will cost about $40/yr for a 2 year subscription to their most conprehensive package.

Thanks again, Dave!

I don't know this Video Professor dude but he sounds like a real prat who obviously threw one too many toys out of his pram. So, in order to raise his ire and get him to sue me, I have written this littly ditty:

I'm a pervert called Video Professor,
In my spare time I'm a dirty cross-dresser,
And when you're standing in the courtroom dock,
He'll be on his knees, sucking the judge's cock.

Since I'm not on a static IP address and the method by which I connect changes, he'll find it rather a chore to locate me. So I'll make it simple: Up your fat ass.

HTTP://FREE.GRISOFT.COM

I work in a computer repair shop but as a graphic artist for their sign shop department. I have seen so many computers come in there with AVG installed yet they come loaded to the hilt with spyware and viruses which you can see after running an anti-virus app like Kasperski

after seeing kasperski recommended i checked it out after reviewing it i have determined that it is as good at avira from free-av.com the anti virus i use. i ran kasperski on my computer and it found nothing. however kasperski is almost 60$ a year and avira is 30$ a year but avira has a free addition that doesn't come with the spy-ware and ad-ware components i use ad-aware or spybot to supplement that part witch is free but doesn't have constant monitoring also kasperski has a footprint of 15k and avira has a foot print of 5k so considering these things i conclude avira is better than kasperski.

i should of said kasperski might be as good as avira also avira has updated virus definition files daily i dont know how often kasperski is updated.

i also should of said kasperski has a 30day free trial also i should say that i have never had addware or spyware on my computer after the new laws were created about it even though i still scan for it about once a month. I'm rather cautious about what i put on my computer i like to keep it running as well as possible. although i do go to web sights that will constantly try to put virii on my computer but avira detects and blocks the attempts.

AVG is good software. However, if the user doesn't have good on-line habits (stick to known good sites, don't open attachments, don't click on pop-ups) then no Anti-Virus software is going to protect you.

However, if your looking for a good, lightweight AV, then checkout Nod32 (http://www.eset.com/).