(
CYBER Strategic
Lawsuit
Against
Public
Participation) A lawsuit designed to prevent free expression. A cyberSLAPP is the Internet version of a SLAPP, which was coined in the 1996 book "SLAPPs: Getting Sued for Speaking Out" by George Pring and Penelope Canan. The cyberSLAPP lawsuit is filed by a person or company against the publisher of a blog, social media post or online article that contains opposing views or criticism. By creating perpetual legal delays after initiation, a cyberSLAPP is often used to intimidate or bankrupt the defendant even if there is no chance of ever winning the case. See
Internet troll and
patent troll.