As I was watching the inauguration and the following festivities today, I kept thinking: How will internet defamation laws be influenced by Obama's presidency? After all, I thought, Obama is the first american president to be described as "Internet savvy." The media has reported on numerous occasions that Obama is fond of using e-mail and … [Read more...] about How Will Obama’s Presidency Affect Internet Defamation Laws?
Articles
California Defamation Law Blog Gets A Face-lift
Welcome to my newly redesigned blog! My purpose in writing this blog is to provide you with the best possible information regarding defamation, both online and offline. I want to specially thank Rob Lagatta and everyone at the LexBlog team for being so helpful and for creating such a wonderful design. … [Read more...] about California Defamation Law Blog Gets A Face-lift
Decriminalizing Defamation: Part II
In my last post I covered just a few examples of the recent "trend" of treating defamation as a crime. As you might expect, defamation is considered to be a crime in many Asian and Middle Eastern countries. It is also a crime in some European countries, like Italy, for example. What is surprising is that in some states in the U.S. defamation may be … [Read more...] about Decriminalizing Defamation: Part II
Decriminalizing Defamation: Part I
The police arrest you. They then detain, cuff, interrogate, force you to strip down naked, and subject you to body cavity searches. Your lawyer isn't present during this entire time. So, what were you charged with? Defamation. Hard to believe a nightmarish scenario like this one could ever happen to anyone? Well, just ask Vittorio De … [Read more...] about Decriminalizing Defamation: Part I
Internet Libel As A Crime? Say It Ain’t So!
A Colorado man was charged with 2 counts of criminal libel over alleged posts about his former lover on Craigslist's, "Rants and Raves" section. It is alleged that the man wrote something to the effect that the woman traded sexual acts for attorney services, among other disparaging remarks.Criminal liability for defamatory remarks is backward. … [Read more...] about Internet Libel As A Crime? Say It Ain’t So!