Who owns Snopes? Fracas over fact-checking site now front and center

Enlarge / David Mikkelson, the founder of Snopes, seen here at the US Embassy in Vienna, in June 2017. (credit: US Embassy Vienna)

As of Tuesday evening, Snopes.com, one of the Internet's most longstanding fact-checking websites, successfully raised over $600,000 in less than 48 hours-an effort to stay afloat while an ugly legal battle is underway.

Snopes' founder, David Mikkelson, told Ars in a lengthy phone interview that a Web development company, Proper Media, and two of its founders have essentially held the website "hostage" for months, keeping both data and money that should have gone to Snopes' parent company, Bardav.

Bardav and Proper Media, which also runs other websites including TVTropes.org, made a business deal together that Bardav then cancelled in March 2017. Proper Media sued in May, alleging breach of contract, among other allegations. Mikkelson and Bardav countersued in June 2017.

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