Responding to an upswing in legal attacks against Internet parody sites, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is planning to launch a "Chilling Effects Clearinghouse" to help arm online speakers against "unfounded" attacks by corporate lawyers.

The clearinghouse, which EFF intends to develop in conjunction with a handful of law schools, will include a "Hall of Shame for lawyers and law enforcers that write these broad, unfounded letters to people," EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn told Newsbytes today.

EFF wants to "make law firms think twice about whether they want to participate in bullying," Cohn said.

Cohn said she hopes the Chilling Effects Clearing house will help combat what she said was a growing trend of trademark and copyright holders sending threatening cease-and-desist letters to the creators and hosts of constitutionally protected parody on the Internet.

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