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Internet hosts should be made to pay for libellous statements, suit contends
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by ricknight | April 20, 2007 at 03:37 am
545 views | 15 Recommendations | 9 comments
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The hosts of the speed-of-light world of Internet blogs and interactive websites that publish anonymous commentary should be forced to pay when reputations are damaged, says a former Green Party staff member who is suing three such sites.Google, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia and openpolitics.ca, a Canadian political website based in Toronto, are being sued in Vancouver in a libel case that could change the way Internet opinion is monitored and published.
Wayne Crookes, a former campaign manager of the Green Party of Canada, said he “suffered an immense amount of frustration and emotional distress” over postings on Google's Blogspot.com, a free blog-hosting website, within an entry under his name in Wikipedia, and on openpolitics.ca, an interactive political forum set up by Michael Pilling, an Ontario and federal Green Party activist.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (9)
at 08:01 on April 20th, 2007
This case will test whether Canadian ISPs and hosting platforms are a viable business. What's next? Will services be liable for messages people send?
at 09:03 on April 20th, 2007
Under the logic of this claim, we should be able to litigate against newsprint and paper makers for what is printed on their product....
at 09:24 on April 20th, 2007
That's pretty good, maybe carry it farther, how culpable will the Phone or cable company that own the lines be. How about the Computer manufacturer for the computer that made it all possible, then there's the light that was used to illuminate the keyboard, probably GE. Then don't forget the power company, they supplied all those electrons.
at 09:40 on April 20th, 2007
Ultimately GOD is responsible for the physical and metaphysical world so he (or she) should be held accountable. We should sue all churches, mosques and synagogues.
at 11:20 on April 20th, 2007
Also, if I say something stupid at work, my boss is responsible. Watch out, ANG!
at 13:33 on April 20th, 2007
GOD has that whole "free will" limited liability clause, and the assets are distributed through a maze of shell corporations. won't see a cent from that quarter.
at 14:42 on April 21st, 2007
It is the publisher, not the web host who can be sued. For instance, Now Public is the publisher of anything that could be libelous and therefore could be sued along with the writer of the material (or photographer).
If they are hosting with some Grandma on her server in the backwoods, then Grandma has no worries, its like the paper manufacturer being worried in a print newspaper case.
There are equal issues with plagiarismon sites like NP also
at 16:48 on April 23rd, 2007
Things are different in the USA with lawsuites - gone crazy...
" Maybe the builders of the World Trade Towers should be culpable or
maybe the Aircraft manufacturer for the 9-11 attack. But instead they
blamed the Government, why is that?"
Maybe because the US Government's foreign policy and acts internationally have upset people...?
at 13:43 on April 24th, 2007
So maybe VT gets nailed for not properly warning students