Friday, January 21, 2011

The rise of internet defamation and consequent litigation

I have over the last year taken an interest in defamation that arises in condominium communities.   Sometimes this takes place on the web.  Many owners think that the web offers them immunity particularly if the identity of the owner is masked by a pseudonym.  This is not the case.  The Vancouver Sun reported at http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Legal+claims+onlinedefamation+rise/4142690/story.html that there has been a rise in litigation relating to defamation on the web.  For those interested, though not specifically related to the internet, the following Supreme Court of Canada cases deal comprehensively with the issue of defamation and the right of freedom of speech: Manning and the Church of Scientology of Toronto v. Hill (SCC) and Grant et al. v. Torstar et al. (SCC).