Internet groups hail 'victory for free speech' after US court ruling

0 Comments | AFP, November, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — Internet campaigners welcomed a California court ruling that protects service providers and online publishers against defamation lawsuits for posting content written by someone else. In a written ruling the California Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision, re-affirming that individuals seeking legal redress for comments published online could only sue the original source of the information.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation praised the court decision saying it "reaffirmed the critical rule that the soapbox is not liable for what the speaker has said." Internet firms and civil liberties groups warned that an earlier California Court of Appeal decision would have made publishers liable for content posted on their websites, stifling freedom of...