Media Giants to Join Dow-Jones Libel Appeal

An Anonymous Coward writes: "The Australian High Court has taken the unusual step of allowing 18 media companies from around the world the right to intervene in a landmark Internet defamation case."

This will have a terrible effect on the internet

[Martin Marvinski]

The internet is getting way too commercial. Once everything becomes overproduced and over packaged with boring corporate stuff and legal requirements, no one will want to go online. This just prevents people from expressing ideas, and quite soon, the web will be as interesting as a Mac Donald's wrapper. The best part of the net is being able to speak your mind and download free stuff.

What it's all about

[qeL3-i]

This story is about whether Mr Gutnick, from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, can sue Dow Jones in Victoria where he lives, or in New Jersey where Dow Jones's headquarters is. Geoffrey Robertson QC is appearing for Dow Jones on appeal from the Victorian Supreme Court, which said that Gutnick could sue in Victoria.

As Robertson says, if Gutnick can sue Dow Jones in Victoria, then it would impose a severe burden on website publishers who would have to comply with the law of every country which the Internet reaches to.

If courts in other countries use the ruling in this case as a precedent, it could affect web publishing all over the world. The High Court is thus allowing media companies such as CNN, Yahoo, Amazon, etc to join the case because it affects them.

End of the internet if Gutnick wins

[woboz]

middle eastern countries sue all providers of porn because porn is outlawed in those countries. china sues all providers on the topics of free speech and human rights because these practices are outlawed in China. after its all said and done only the lawyers will be winners and that means no one wins.

Re:End of the internet if Gutnick wins

[ChrisGuest]

Well, that's probably criminal law not civil law. But, interestingly the terms and conditions of my ISP in Australia includes this: " 5.5 You agree to make reasonable efforts to avoid establishing hypertext links to material, which promotes or facilitates copyright infringement or contravention of any law of any country or state. " I'm not sure what a reasonable effort is, but I guess I can't includes links to copyright circumvention, euphenasia, fermentation, apostacy, atheism, communism, capitalism, anarchism or holicaust revisionism. One might say I'm left with a Mickey Mouse page, but even that is prohibited due to potential copyright infringement.

A New Internet

[ScumBiker]

I think it's time for something new. We've already fucked up this iteration of the internet. At least all of the worlds big businesses have. What ever hapened to the day when it was a great joy to simply discover a website about (x) and read about whatever it was that interested you? It seems like all you see nowadays is porn or corporate blather. Hell even the game sites totally suck. When sites like bluesnews or fragged went corporate, they so went down the toilet. I remember the first time I went to bluesnews. It was a treat to read about the games the guy actually cared about, not games they're paid to write about. Huge difference. Anyway, it's going to be damn tough to get back those innocent years. Maybe a giant, underground wifi network. I know we can do it in big cities. That's why I've left my wireless base station open. It's stupid bastards like that aussie business dude that have fucked it up for all of us. Soon we won't even be able to bitch about JonKatz anymore, then what the hell are we gonna do?

Re:A New Internet

[LordNimon]

That's why I've left my wireless base station open.

If someone uses your open network to commit a crime, you'll also be held liable. Just something to think about.

Re:A New Internet

[doc_side]

This reminds me of something in a slashdot article I saw a few months back.

Australian WAN [nodedb.com]