A UK Law Perspective

The development of the Internet raises challenges in the application of defamation, given that the click of a mouse can communicate a defamatory statement instantly to thousands of people throughout the world. This can pose a serious threat to the reputation of an individual or company. This chapter considers: (1) the laws of defamation applicable to the Internet, including analysis of the Defamation Acts 1952 and 1996 and the E-Commerce Directive; (2) the way UK law is currently being applied in practice, including discussion of the key UK cases in this area; (3) the Internet defence in the Defamation Act 1996, which can protect innocent disseminators of defamatory material over the Internet; and (4) future reform of defamation law in the UK.