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A New Libel Defense In Canada; For Blogs Too

Posted by kdawson on from the matters-of-public-interest dept.

roju writes "The Globe and Mail reports that the Canadian Supreme Court has created a new defense against claims of defamation, allowing for reporting in the public interest. They specifically included bloggers as eligible, writing: '...the traditional media are rapidly being complemented by new ways of communicating on matters of public interest, many of them online, which do not involve journalists. These new disseminators of news and information should, absent good reasons for exclusion, be subject to the same laws as established media outlets.' and 'A review of recent defamation case law suggests that many actions now concern blog postings and other online media which are potentially both more ephemeral and more ubiquitous than traditional print media. ... [I]t is more accurate to refer to the new defense as responsible communication on matters of public interest.'"

5 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. I wonder... by Rivalz · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sounds like I need to incorporate myself just for my online presence. That way when I get sued for pissing everyone off I can just close my business down. The idea's and expressions are solely that of Legally Inept Inc. a subsidiary of Betcha Can't Sue Me. Please forward all complaints to our legal department trash@inbox.com

  2. Re:CBC article has details... by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 3, Funny

    Oh my, a sane and balanced law? What are they smoking?

    Oh, Canada. Nevermind.

  3. Re:CBC article has details... by gmhowell · · Score: 1, Funny

    Oh my, a sane and balanced law? What are they smoking?

    Oh, Canada. Nevermind.

    So.... Maple leafs?

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  4. Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    The Porky Pie is a lie!

  5. Re:I wonder how many times i break the law each da by SteveFoerster · · Score: 2, Funny

    Can they yank my citizenship because I'm not totally patriotic to the USA legal system yet?

    By definition, everything we do is sort of inherently "yank".

    -=Steve=-

    --
    Space game using normal deck of cards: http://BattleCards.org