(Fwd) USA - Net libel suit raises free speech issues

[Harald Müller <Harald.Mueller _at__ MPIV-HD.mpg.de>]

(From QuickLinks 55- 21 March 1998)

USA - Net libel suit raises free speech issues

During a typically passionate discussion on the Net, Stacy McCahan
called someone a liar--and to her surprise, she was slapped with a
$5,000 libel lawsuit. Legal experts say the case is not the first
lawsuit to address online libel, and it won't be the last. But it does
cement a growing realization by Net users who are accustomed to shooting
from the hip: what they say in chat rooms, email, or on Web sites is not
exempt from the laws of the offline world.  
(www.news.com/News/Item/Textonly/0,25,20058,00.html?pfv)


Harald Mueller

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Max-Planck-Institut fuer Auslaendisches Oeffentliches Recht 
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