Responding to a cease-and-desist letter is not one of the non-fiction genres taught in Verona schools. But, on the off chance it ever is, somebody might want to bookmark a missive sent after West Orange’s town attorney tried to shut a Web site there.
Jake Freivald, a West Orange resident, started a Web site in early May called WestOrange.info. It’s a gateway to an online discussion forum covering West Orange politics and more. On May 25, Freivald got an e-mail from Richard Trenk, West Orange’s lawyer, with the subject line “Demand to Cease and Desist From Use of Westorange.info Domain Name”. It said, in part that “The use of the Township’s name is unauthorized and is likely to cause confustion“. (Italics mine, typo Trenk’s). The government site of West Orange is WestOrange.org.
On June 17, a lawyer representing Freivald responded to Trenk. It was posted yesterday to BuzzFeed under the headline “Is This The Best Response To A Cease And Desist Letter Ever?”. Lawyer Stephen B. Kaplitt congratulated Trenk on his “legal satire” and wrote, in part:
You can read the full letter here. UPDATE: What prompted the letter in the first place? Baristanet has some ideas.
