Online intermediaries and Libel

If I write something defamatory about you, and publish it on the internet, there’s a word for that: libel. Here in Canada, we have libel laws. If I call you a horse thief on my blog, and you’re not a horse thief… you can sue me.

But what if someone else calls you a horse thief on their blog, and I simply link to it? Is that libel?

The Supreme Court of Canada is set to hand down a decision in Crookes v Newton 2009 BCCA 392 on 7 December 2010. Here is the Appeal Court ruling.


Interview with David Fewer.