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Questions tagged [libel]

Defamation by written means

Libel is a subset of defamation, concerned specifically with written or printed defamation.

A famous case is McDonald's Corporation v Steel & Morris [1997] EWHC QB 366 case, popularly known as the McLibel case. The case ran for 10 years, with the awarding £40,000 in damages in favour of McDonalds Corporation.

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Is it libel if a company lies about being the first to achieve something?

If a company publishes false statements claiming that it was the first to achieve some notable technological milestone, or that it currently provides the most of some measurable service, can that count as libel against the company which truly…
Gimme the 411
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Risks of criticizing people online

Okay, so, basically, I want to make a blog about ripping on people. And it's not like just ripping because ripping but I really want to point out flaws in works/people/attitudes/technology/decisions and whatever. I don't really care about people…
user4369
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How does changing a name FAIL to protect against a libel suit?

In the answer to this question, someone convinced me that changing Paul dePodesta's name to "Peter Brand" in "Moneyball, was enough to signal a "disconnect" between Mr. dePodesta and "Billy Beane's assistant." Yet, this tactic didn't work in the Red…
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How does changing a name protect against a libel suit when "everyone" knows who he is?

In the movie, "Moneyball," the name of Billy Beane's assistant was fictionalized to "Peter Brand." Yet anyone who has read Michael Lewis' book knows that his real name was Paul dePodesta. Mr. dePodesta withheld permission to use his real name…
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USA: Is the opposite of libel illegal?

The dictionary defines libel as: a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation In the USA, is the opposite illegal? That is: a published false statement that is beneficial to a person's reputation For example, suppose a…
Sean Mackesey
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Is it libel if I reasonably believed it to be true?

Suppose I'm a major newspaper journalist. A rape occurs, and the police arrest the suspect. Bucking all journalistic trends, I run a story with the headline, "Rapist CAUGHT," not "Alleged Rapist Caught." As time goes on, it is eventually proven that…
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Is it libel of one merely shares libelous material written by others?

Can one be punished / successfully sued for sharing libelous material written by someone else? For example, I read on a news website that John Doe committed a horrible crime. If I share this article, for example, by linking to it on my social media…
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In Canada, can you be sued if you specifically name a salesperson in a poor review?

Say that I did business with Acme Corporation and my salesperson was John Smith. I want to write a review of my service that specifically says "John Smith was not a good sales person" in my online google review of Acme corporation. Can John sue me…
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Libel and the presidency

President Trump has been accused by women of rape, however he has never been convicted in court. If one were to write in a reputable publication that Trump "is a rapist," would such a publication be potentially vulnerable to a libel lawsuit?
RaceYouAnytime
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Depicting real places, public organisation names, and generic industries in an inaccurate manner in fiction

Could it be a case for libel if a fictional story has reference to the following… Places and countries (and some details, like description of locations, which may not be accurate) Reference to law enforcement/military organisation (and some details…
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Case of a libel judgment when an author is basing the premise of the story (fictionally) on the actual negative activities of the company?

I'm a fiction writer. (You all love these questions.) My publications ALWAYS begin with the general disclaimer "This is a work of fiction ..." However, I've been doing more realistic dramas, and I'll give an example of something I see myself doing…
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Could libel have legal action taken if the would be defendent was using a VPN that goes to another country?

Normally, if someone writes libelous material about somebody online, they are traced by name and/or IP address. But, let’s say there are neither. So, someone wants to accuse someone of using meth on Reddit. This user has been active for quite some…
Anonymous Barry Allen
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Posting Sex Offender Information Online

Sex Offender Information is public to an extent. If I become aware of a sexual offender in an area and simply post a link to the registry with the intent to merely inform others and not harass nor hinder this person in any way. Is there any way my…
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Can a group of people be libelled

If I was thinking of writing a blog where I refer to a group of people such as immigrants, as traitors, would that constitute libeling? I was interested in any country's laws to see what people think. A blog wouldn't normally be limited for view,…
Rohit Gupta
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