Re: UKNM: Libel (was Lastminute.com...website or webhype?)

[Quentin Langley]

Bizarrely even shops that sell a libellous book,

magazine or newspaper can be sued.  This was

discoverec by the late Robert Maxwell, who realised

that while publishers might have evidence to back up

what they said about him WH Smiths and John Menzies

would not.  Ensuring that books were not distributed

was as good as ensuring they were not published.  This

was a loophole, which the law had never intended, and

which now covers ISPs as well.


The previous government had plans to change the law so

that innocent distributors - and had this happened it

would probably have protected ISPs - were not liable.


The Blair government cancelled plans for this

legislation.



--- Ian Betteridge <

ianbwell [dot] com

> wrote:

 > on 6/1/00 2:25 pm, Dan Winchester at

 >

danfreelancers [dot] net wrote:

 > 

 >  > I wonder what the libel situation is here? Can

 > the 'publisher' be held

 >  > liable for any (libelous) remarks posted in an

 > open forum? And would a

 >  > web-based forum be different from a newsgroup?

 > 

 > Anyone associated with the distribution of a libel

 > can be sued. For print,

 > this means everyone from the writer, the editor,

 > publisher, through to

 > printer, distributor, and ultimately the newsagent.

 > Also, it's traditional

 > to sue the printer as well as the authors - printers

 > usually avoid court and

 > settle quickly, thus getting you a tidy sum even if

 > you ultimately lose

 > (usually pays your legal fees at least). There are

 > several celebrities (no

 > names, no law suits) who make tidy sums every year

 > threatening libel actions

 > in this way.

 > 

 > -- 

 > m: 07957 235463

 > - Saying that cultural objects have value is like

 > saying that telephones

 > have conversations. 



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