Law Society of Ontario
Complaints & Compliance Department
Osgoode Hall, 130 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 2N6
RE: Formal Complaint Against Selwyn A. Pieters (Law Society #50303Q : 2005C)
To the Complaints & Compliance Department:
I write to file a formal complaint against Selwyn A. Pieters, Barrister & Solicitor, for professional misconduct, abuse of legal process, and conduct undermining the administration of justice.
Mr. Pieters, acting as legal representative for Guyana’s President, filed baseless copyright complaints with Facebook against Mark Jacobs, a U.S.-based anti-corruption activist. Most egregiously, Mr. Pieters falsely asserted copyright ownership over a photograph taken by Royal Family Chief Photographer Aaron Chown, expressly credited as “Aaron Chown/PA Wire/PA Images.” Mr. Pieters has no proprietary interest in this image. Being the subject of a photograph confers no copyright ownership—a fact any competent lawyer knows.
As a direct result of these false complaints, Facebook permanently demonetized Mr. Jacobs’ account. He is now indefinitely banned from earning income through ads, subscriptions, or any monetary activity on the platform. This has inflicted real financial harm and was the precise intent: to financially cripple a critic they could not defeat with facts.
This conduct violates Rule 2.1-1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct, requiring lawyers act with integrity and avoid the “appearance of impropriety.” Knowingly asserting false copyright claims to silence a critic constitutes “conduct unbecoming a barrister or solicitor.” It also violates Rule 5.1-2 (candour before tribunals) and constitutes abuse of process and attempted DMCA fraud under U.S. law [17 U.S.C. § 512(f)].
Mr. Pieters’ public profile emphasizes his commitment to justice. Weaponizing intellectual property law to harass and financially cripple a foreign activist betrays those principles and brings the profession into disrepute.
I request the Law Society investigate, issue a public apology to Mr. Jacobs, and contact Facebook to withdraw all complaints and restore his monetization status.
Documents available upon request.
Sincerely,
Mark Jacobs
Guyana Anti-Corruption Network
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