Always worth keeping an eye on legal cases, and this bodes well for publishers if not for the public. This is a libel case over a comment posted on IPC’s Yachting World website. Site user Craig Powell may be found wholly responsible for his comments about the SD Marine company: an IPC spokesperson said users posted entirely at their own responsibility. It is thought the two sides were unable to agree on the wording of an apology or on the amount of damages in advance, so the case is going to court. Powell could be fined up to $94,000 plus costs.
Related: Libel Threat Builds Up For Bloggers & Editors
— Online Publishing Risks Create Need for Libel Insurance
— Indie Web Publishers Gain Libel Protection
— Lawyers Alarmed by International Libel Lawsuit Trend
This article originally appeared in MediaGuardian.
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