Boat Clubs in Facebook Spat

Posted: February 11, 2013  |  By: Rebecca Henely [Times Ledger]

A lawsuit over a Facebook Web page is putting the current leaders of the Long Island City Community Boathouse at odds with its founder.

The Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, a nonprofit based in Brooklyn that is affiliated with the boathouse, levied a suit in Brooklyn federal court in 2011 against Erik Baard, who founded the boathouse in 2004. The boathouse, at 46-01 5th St., offers recreational and educational paddling programs along the East River.

The dispute emerged after Baard created a Facebook fan page for the boathouse in 2009 after he stepped down from the boathouse’s leadership in 2008. Jerry Dunne, an attorney for the Dredgers, said in an e-mail that the fan page is copyright infringement.

“Erik has no longer any affiliation with the LIC Community Boathouse,” Dunne said. “He is a disgruntled former head and founder.”

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