Summary: Essentially this is an attempt of freenode.net to redirect people who type in libera.net instead of libera.chat. Libera.chat is a fork of freenode.net that formed in response to a controversial change in leadership in May 2021.
This comes at a surprise to... nobody. The entire libera staff have been warning about this dude since the first resignation, probably even before.
He's shady as hell.
I've been following this for a few months now and I still, after all the time, cannot discern a financial motive. Is all of this really just schoolyard ego stuff? There was no substantial monetary value in Freenode, right? And if there was, there certainly isn't now? I mean, it looks like the group that took it over just set it on fire?
In order to understand the ecosystem, I ask myself this question : why did 4chan personally harass Audacity leader, but did nothing about the behavior of freechat leader?
Libera.net was registered in 2000.
This whole issue can be easily resolved if anyone has a domaintools account and check the history of the libera.net domain.
How would a lawsuit against him work in a case like this?
– Daddy, why IRC proto specs are so inconsistent?
– Hush! We are busy in ircops war!
An ICANN trademark dispute might seize the domain registration, but first... Libera's principals should consult an attorney. Maybe approach the EFF, or ask a law school free legal clinic.
If the attorneys say they can't help within budget, then a Libera principal can contact their state AG's office. If the AG's office can't help directly, they might know which business regulatory authority to ask.
(I should note: The `whois` info doesn't indicate whether this is the doing of Freenode officials, or of some other party. So keep the pitchforks in storage, and don't let facts get clouded.)
My reaction to this is "Oh, I guess the freenode guy really is the bad guy in this drama after all." I'd chalked up all the drama as ego + misunderstanding, but this makes it easier to take sides!
So, thanks freenode guy for simplifying my life a little bit!