Are vague threats illegal? Do legal threats have to be specific? It seems like o... | Hacker News

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

kenjackson on March 4, 2011 | parent | context | favorite | on: US Department of Justice investigating MPEG LA

Are vague threats illegal? Do legal threats have to be specific? It seems like one of the most common threats I know of is, "I'm going to sue you!" It's usually not a specific, "I'm going to sue you based on violation of XYZ". It's usually a very vague statement. Is that generally illegal, but just not enforced?

marshray on March 4, 2011 [–]

Are vague threats illegal? Do legal threats have to be specific?

Not in general, if they're vague enough.

But when they come from the lawyer pool of a massively-funded cartel sitting on 1700 patents, they're inherently credible threats.

Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.
Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact