This has been brought up before so I just checked the current situation. The key fact to remember is that

The same rules apply for the internet as most other areas of the press. If the words published on-line are defamatory, the author and publisher can be sued.

And it gets worse:

Your defamatory statement can appear on any internet terminal around the world. Therefore litigation can be brought in each country.

Laurence Godfrey will be paid £15,000 plus legal costs - which could top £200,000 - by Demon Internet after allegedly defamatory postings about him appeared in newsgroups

The detailed article by H20 is worth a read (they've copy protected the pages so I can't cut/paste).

But there is no legal immunity for authors of defamatory statements on bulletin boards and chat rooms

ISPs potentially face civil actions from both the persons complaining and also the website.

Other links:

http://www.media-solicitors.co.uk/internet-libel.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/695596.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2587057.stm

 

Now we (the moderators) aren't lawyers nor can we afford any. If something that is possibly libel is published we have to take it down or risk getting sued. It cost Demon over £200,000.

If anyone reports a post to the mods as defamatory, we have to take it down.

The law as it stands would land everyone in court: the person alleging libel, the person making the statement, the hosting company, craig and the moderators.

 

So please before anyone posts, please bear in mind that even though this is on the internet, you are still subject to the libel law and could get sued along with everyone looking after this forum and end up with big bills and no forum.

 

Thanks - Gio

Yeah thats the one, its one case (1) are there any other further cases where proof has been taken?

 

thanks

Originally posted by 300z

are there any other further cases where proof has been taken?

 

Don't know what you mean by that but it is the case that ISPs and webhosts get "cease and desist" every day. Because of the implications of the Demon case, ISPs simply no longer take the risk where complaints are made - they just take the content down. If you want to know more call a lawyer or ISPA http://www.ispa.org.uk

 

I repeat, the key point is that the libel law (both in UK and in many other countries) makes NO distinction between publishing on the internet and publishing on paper. And I don't think you want me to research every libel case since Demon.

Originally posted by Gio

And I don't think you want me to research every libel case since Demon.

 

 

What if we do? ;)

 

Might be worth making this a sticky so it doesn't get lost in amongst the quagmire of other threads.

NO MORE STICKY's...bl00dy pain in the ar5e. You have to scroll down half a screen just to get past them. ;)

 

I say get rid of ALL sticky's and just have a "Sticky" section.

Or a FAQ section! :eek:

 

 

Hold on...I'm getting a sense of deja vu here..... :D ;)

Ajay: 1) http://www.google.co.uk ;) and 2) OK will take that on board. I'm also trying to find the original legal stuff which craig did.

 

Timmy: actually that's not a bad suggestion - it is being thought about as we type!

 

(bugger - beaten by neet's lighting touch typing)

Ajay: 3) yes it is "in hand" as they say....

Gio :

 

1) That's ME researching all the stuff, then. ;) I wanted YOU to do it. ;) :D :D

 

2) :D

 

3) LOL. :D Sorry I .........shall.................slow......................down.

 

 

 

..............maybe. ;)