Several weeks ago I reported on the California-based "Center for AIDS Prevention" fraudulently seeking donations via ads on The New York Times' website. To catch you up to speed: Nobody's heard of the organization; there's no evidence they provide any services; and they appear to be affiliated with a now-defunct company that advertised an herbal remedy for HIV. ProPublica helped break the story last month, and followed up by noting that they were advertising on USA Today's website as well.

Well color me surprised earlier this week when I answered my phone only to be greeted by an alleged representative of this organization -- "D Lomax Burnett" -- complaining that my use of their "property" in the form of their logo in my last post constituted theft and that they would be filing lawsuit against me in four days unless I took down the material.

He followed up with this e-mail later that day, which included a screenshot of that lost post:

Dear Mr. Hoppe,

I placed a call to you earlier today and asked that you remove the images you created using our logo from your website and/or blog. Our logo is not your property and you have not been give permission to use it or any of our other intellectual property. We ask that you cease and desist from your use of our property. Our legal team is aware of this matter and we are asking that you comply with our request immediately.

Sincerely,

D. Lomax Burnett
Director of Fundraising and Outreach

If this isn't further evidence of their shady dealings and the need to fight to see this organization's further investigation, I don't know what is.