http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-513959.html?legacy=zdnn Recently I have seen news about several lawsuits aimed at anonymous forum posters either for libelous or defamatory comments and accusations, above is a link to one I found but have seen others recently.... You have to know that if someones feelings get hurt in a BBS post you may have a Lawyer knocking on your door someday...
After browsing thru the Voss thread the first couple of pages it seemed to me that regardless of how everyone feels about this voss person, there were many defamatory comments that could potentially spawn litigation maybe in the near future "not that any of it was wrong or right" but I guess its early enough in the game to where the cost of hiring a lawyer would in itself squelch the litigation, but if the provider of the forum encouraged the activity.......It sure is a grey area isn't it?
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Can't shout 'fire'
"There's no clear-cut procedure for how this would be resolved in court," he said. But the First Amendment, as the famous saying goes, doesn't allow Americans to shout "fire" in a crowded theater unless the theater really is on fire, another expert said. "Individuals have always had to take responsibility for what they say," said Liza Kessler, a staff attorney at the Center for Democracy and Technology.
Just because the statement is made on the Internet, that doesn't mean it's protected by the First Amendment if it is libelous, said Kessler.
"Presumably if you're just a crank and you're just posting lies about a company to get back at somebody, it eventually comes out," she said. "But people have to realize the Yahoo! financial boards are not the Wall Street Journal."
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IKON
