Posted by: tahir
Free speech in the UK - 08/08/2006 08:02
Has anybody heard about this:
http://www.mumsnet.com/lw/state.htmlThe site I help run (www.downsizer.net) has lots of over exuberant posters that are sometimes critical of famous people, we try hard to stop stuff before it goes too far BUT how do you decide when it's crossed a line?
We have no liability insurance at the moment, should we be looking at it, and does anyone here have experience of such?
Posted by: furtive
Re: Free speech in the UK - 08/08/2006 08:34
I agree with mumsnet. Gina Fords books should be burnt!
Posted by: boxer
Re: Free speech in the UK - 08/08/2006 12:40
Technology moves faster than the law, in our world things move by the second in their's by the century.
I would have thought Gina buggerlugs was on a sticky wicket in pursuing opinions on an openly available site, surely she would have to pursue the contributor of the individual post, irrespective of its nation of origin, but I doubt that British law has anything on the statute books, nor a precedent to deal with it. So, if she wishes to pursue the point, it will probably keep a great number of legal eagles happy at great expense and to no conclusion!
As to whether your site needs indemnity, I will raise the point with just such a group of legal eagles with whom I drink, and, in the unlikely event that they have a consensus, report back!
Posted by: tahir
Re: Free speech in the UK - 08/08/2006 12:48
This is the last response from our legal system to the issue:
http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/docs/defamation2.pdfDated 2002
Posted by: tahir
Re: Free speech in the UK - 09/08/2006 07:27
Thanks very much Gareth. I can understand the individual being pursued as in the Yahoo Groups case, but to sue a site seems incredible to me.
Will look through both of those.
Has anybody ever heard of liability insurance for websites?
Posted by: g_attrill
Re: Free speech in the UK - 09/08/2006 08:00
Some other cases you might find interesting:
http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2006/407.htmlhttp://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2001/1897.htmlAs for insurance, I don't know of anything specifically, but you can insure against anything really.
Posted by: g_attrill
Re: Free speech in the UK - 09/08/2006 12:26