As I wrote here Feb. 25, efforts to unmask the anonymous author of the Patent Troll Tracker blog ended in the author revealing himself to be Rick Frenkel, a lawyer who works inhouse at Cisco. Now, the Daily Journal newspaper is reporting that two Texas patent attorneys, T. John Ward Jr. and Eric Albritton, have each separately sued Frenkel and his employer Cisco for defamation. On Friday, the blog apparently closed its doors to the public and now has a notice that it is available to readers by invitation only.

I cannot find the Daily Journal report online, but an e-mail version says:

“Both Texas patent lawyers filed suit in the past two weeks, arguing that Frenkel posts defamed them by accusing them of altering the date of a patent infringement complaint so it would not be filed before their client’s patent had been approved.”

Both lawsuits also name Cisco, saying it is directly and vicariously liable for Frenkel’s blog comments.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.