The Summit County Sheriff’s Department reports an online threat was made against the head of Backcountry.com—amid the social-media controversy that lit up after news reports said the company was suing numerous small business owners that used the word “backcountry” in their brand.
As we have reported, a Coloado paper noted that more than 12,000 Facebook users had joined a boycott of “backcountry.com”.
The sheriff’s report said they were contacted Novemer 7th by an attorney for the company, which is headquartered at the Redstone Center. He reported that the CEO who lives in Snyderville, received an internet message saying, “I know where you live a nice little place in"——"and you will suffer dire consequences.”
The attorney said the executive’s family moved out of the house. Sheriff’s Lt. Andrew Wright said he didn’t know where they are at this time. But the company headquarters and the CEO’s home were put on the deputies’ property watch list.
Lt. Wright said the message didn’t say specifically the reason for the threat, but given its timing, he said there’s a good possibility it is related to the company’s lawsuits.
He said the suspect apparently had a fake social media page and may have communicated from Mammoth Lakes, California.
As we’ve reported, Backcountry CEO Jonathan Neilsen issued an apology on November 6th on the company’s website, where he said he was withdrawing a suit against at least one defendant, Maquette Backcountry. He said the company has tried to resolve the trademark disputes amicably and only pursued lawsuits as a last resort.
