Tech reporter Cyrus Farivar from Forbes has been sued by the parent company of a cryptocurrency called “Bitcoin Latinum.” This is because Farivar wrote an article about the lawsuit filed by the company. According to Mike Masnick of Techdirt.com, Farivar’s article quotes SEC boss Gary Gensler, who stated that the crypto world is “rife with fraud, scams, and abuse.” Farivar also reached out to Paramount, the company behind the popular sci-fi franchise Star Trek, to ask about the claim that “Bitcoin Latinum” had received $20 million from the producers of Star Trek. Paramount spokesperson Jennifer Verti responded that they are not involved with this project in any way.
The lawsuit was filed by GIBF GP, Inc., a corporate entity behind “Bitcoin Latinum.” However, it is important to note that the lawsuit was filed a year and a quarter after the article was published. This has led to speculation that the lawsuit is a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) tactic, meant to intimidate and silence Farivar. This has only brought more attention and scrutiny to “Bitcoin Latinum.”
It is worth mentioning that Farivar’s article also included a quote from the original lawsuit filed by Arshad Assofi, which claimed that the founder of “Bitcoin Latinum” had made false statements about the project’s involvement with Star Trek. Farivar also made the factual statement that the crypto world is filled with scammers and companies without real products.
Chris Roush is the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University and a former business journalist for various publications. He is the author of the business reporting textbook “Show me the Money” and a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.
