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In law, defamation (also called calumny, libel, slander, and vilification) is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied t
by Gibbon 18y ago
In law, defamation (also called calumny, libel, slander, and vilification) is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government or nation a negative image. It is often, but not always, a requirement that this claim be false, and, or alternatively, that the publication is made to someone other than the person defamed.
- Semiapies 18y agoFried didn't post about the private sex lives of people working for Get Satisfaction. He accurately described their operation and characterized it unfavorably. While the law differs in other parts of the world, in the United States libel has to involve knowingly false statements meant to give someone a negative image. Making complaints on one's blog and having the party you're complaining about show up, act highly apologetic, and immediately start rewriting parts of their website to address your complaints is about as far from "defamation" as you can get.
- Gibbon 18y agoAny statement can be grounds for defamation if it can be proved true or false in a court. A statement made as a fact (for example "The site also hosts, without permission, company support pages for over 14,000 companies.") is potentially actionable.
- Semiapies 18y agoBy your persistence on this point, I assume you're both British (or otherwise only familiar with UK law) and think UK law is relevant on this point. It's not. I'll leave you to ponder the question, "If Fried's complaints in his blog post are 'defamatory', what exactly are all the consumer complaints on Get Satisfaction's site, then?"