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Tuesday, April 16, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Lawsuit Over Alleged Jihadi Link Dismissed

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - Offensive Security Limited voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit claiming online education company Udemy was "being used to educate jihadists in the art of hacking."

Offensive Security, which provides training in network information security, sued Udemy on Feb. 19 in Federal Court for trademark and copyright violations alleging the education company uses some of its brand-name programs and services in online courses.

In an exhibit accompanying its lawsuit, Offensive Security showed a screenshot of a tweet that apparently showed a jihadist website providing instructions on how to access a Udemy video bearing an image of the plaintiff's "Kali Linux" mark.

Udemy was represented by John Slafsky of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

In a statement through Slafsky, Udemy said: "We were pleased to see that Offensive Security unilaterally withdrew its lawsuit against Udemy. There was no basis to any of the claims. Udemy will continue to respect the intellectual property rights of others while honoring well-recognized fair-use practices."

Offensive Security's attorney Charles Riddle, of Riddle Patent Law in Scranton, Pa., told Courthouse News: "Like any other company, Offensive Security desires to maintain control over its brand identity. As the complaint alleges, Offensive Security first attempted to resolve this matter without resorting to the court system. Subsequent to the filing of the lawsuit, Udemy's instructors changed its content to address the allegations. Having obtained the original relief sought, Offensive Security dismissed the civil action."

Contact Arvin Temkar at [email protected].

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