WebProNews

Welfare of site and community at stake

After eBay filed a lawsuit against Craigslist over alleged manipulation of eBay's stake in the classifieds site, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster responded on the site's blog.

Though the Craigslist blog only launched in March, it has offered a peek into some legal drama around the site. Buckmaster sparred with the Connecticut attorney general, and apologized for how he handled dealing with a blogger running an unofficial Craigslist blog.

The latest bit of 'Craigslist Legal' started when eBay sued Craigslist in Delaware's Court of Chancery. Ebay suggested Craigslist acted to dilute eBay's holdings in the site; that stake began at 28.4 percent of Craigslist in 2004.

Buckmaster responded on his site's blog, in claiming eBay's complaint came "out of the blue."

"Coming from a shareholder that views craigslist as a prime competitor, filing suit without so much as mentioning these assertions beforehand seems unethical, and hints at ulterior motives," he said. Buckmaster hinted eBay may want to sell its Craigslist stake, or try to force a takeover of the site.

"Ebay has absolutely no reason to feel threatened here," Buckmaster said. The specific nature of eBay's complaint is under seal with the Court and has not been disclosed.