[UPDATE] Phantom maker charges Web site with dealing in misinformation and defamation, while HardOCP stands by its story.
Infinium Labs today announced it may file a legal complaint against hardware information site HardOCP for defamation. According to an Infinium PR rep, HardOCP was "one of the original sites to have spread misinformation" about makers of the to-be-released Phantom game console. The potential suit stems from a September 2003 HardOCP article on Infinium and the Phantom, which singled out the company"s chairman and CEO, Timothy M. Roberts, for special attention. The article pointed out that several companies on Roberts" resume had gone bankrupt, and it claimed to have firsthand reports that the Infinium offices were a "ghost town" at the time.
In a conference call to analysts and the press, Infinium president and COO Kevin Bachus said the article was "false and defamatory," and it "painted a portrait of a company intent on swindling the public...and that is unacceptable." According to Bachus, Infinium will begin legal action within 10 days unless HardOCP removes the article from its site. Bachus said the action is necessary for the company to maintain a "credible and direct relationship with consumers."