> I’m dubious that there was even a threat of a lawyer. The usual legal standard is whether a reasonable person could interpret the email as potentially threat

> I’m dubious that there was even a threat of a lawyer. The usual legal standard is whether a reasonable person could interpret the email as potentially threatening legal action. > The request simply asked for a prompt response as required by law. And such a request reads exactly like something written by a lawyer. Lawyers don't usually explicitly threaten a lawsuit in their first communication. They write something very similar to the email the researchers sent. I can easily see how a reasonable person could interpret those emails as potentially threatening a lawsuit if the request were not complied with, or if the sender did not think the response was sufficient.