The Law of Defamation and the Internet

A comprehensive analysis of the application of Anglo-Australian rules of civil defamation law to material published via the Internet. This book will be a useful reference for practitioners, Internet professionals, and students alike.

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The Internet is the first truly global communications medium. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can publish material to a potentially vast audience located in any number of countries around the world. The Internet is, at the same time, a great bastion of free speech and a medium of almost limitless international defamation. This title contains the first comprehensive analysis of the application of Anglo-Australian rules of civil defamation law to material published via the Internet. As well as addressing the common law rules as they apply in the United Kingdom and Australia, it covers the operation of statutory modifications of the common law in each jurisdiction, the specific defences applying to Internet intermediaries, the European Union's Electronic Commerce Directive and comparative case-law from the United States. It also contains a substantial treatment of the relevant principles of jurisdiction and choice of law. The work contains a clear and non-technical explanation of how the Internet works and the various ways in which it is used to publish material.
Common Internet terms are defined in a glossary, and relevant legislation has been extracted and reproduced. As this is a field in which there are, as yet, few authorities and a large number of untested issues, the author's systematic approach towards the cause of action, defences and remedies, coupled with the frequent use of contextual examples, means this work will maintain its relevance in this fast moving area of the law. The title will be an invaluable reference for practitioners, Internet professionals, and students alike.