26 June 2006

A test case will come before Britain's highest court to decide on how far Internet publishers are open to lawsuits over libel allegations.

Internet defamation, or 'cybersmear', can take place through any one of a number of avenues, including email, web site postings, chat rooms and blogs, etc.

The target may be an individual person, a corporate entity, a governmental entity, or any other organisation.

It is widely believed that as the Internet increasingly becomes a reference source of information, Internet defamation has the potential to do more and more harm.

Last year, the Court of Appeal ruled that internet publishers could not be sued in the English courts unless there had been a "substantial" publication in England.

The Court of Appeal threw out the libel accusation against the online publication, saying that only five people in England had read the allegedly defamatory item, but an appeal has been lodged in a case that could lead to new guidelines being implemented.

However changes may mean that an item could be deemed libellous irrespective of its readership.

© Adfero Ltd

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