Blogger Sued For Linking To Material Claimed To Be Defamatory @ Techdirt

I've been following this site since they broke a story about hardware review site that plagiarized a review from a press release of all things.  Their latest story is something any site owner needs to consider when linking to content on the web.

Even if the content in question was totally defamatory, it certainly raises some pretty serious questions about whether merely linking to content itself can or should be seen as defamatory as well. As noted in the Newton/Crookes case, so far, Canadian courts have been rejecting such claims, and hopefully that holds up with the Supreme Court ruling

The way I see it, if it's on the web, its fair game.  However that is also viewed from the standpoint of an outsider looking in.  If you're the one on the inside you have 2 options 1) sue to get it removed which will inadvertently bring more attention to your cause, or 2) consider damage control and hope it goes away.

Of course in hindsight the best option would have been to be smart enough NOT to get into that situation, which in some cases is counterproductive depending on what you are attempting to do.  (ie attracting attention to yourself doesn't work if you are worried about what others will think).

Related Web URL: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101028/04270511...