Google Sued for Libel After Man Ego Surfs

Grok Headline matches for Google Sued for Libel After Man Ego Surfs

Could Google News be sued for libel?

Could Google News be sued for libel? 06/05/2004 02:34 AM
CyberJournalist.net Jun 5 2004 5:27AM GMT

Blogger sued for libel

Blogger sued for libel 03/14/2005 06:21 PM
(Following links are all in Finnish. Sorry.)

Ilkka Pöyry, the headmaster of the Muhos Korivaara school, who has been using (and approving) questionable methods to give fundamentalist religious schooling to kids in the elementary grades (3-4), has sued Jani of Marginaali for libel. (Well, not really sued, it's more like asking the police to look into the matter by claiming that a crime has occurred. I don't know the English words for that.)

While Jani's tone in expressing his opinion is, in my opinion, overly harsh, his feelings are understandable. Knowing Finnish mentality the situation has had to have been really bad, if multiple families have gone against the popular opinion in a small, Finnish rural town. The person who was supposed to investigate the matter within the town reported multiple attempts to prevent his work or to arrive at a certain conclusion, including a lawsuit by the same Ilkka Pöyry (which the police found unfounded). Even an expert group investigation was declared secret by the town council, though the conclusion was made public, and resulted in the Oulu regional government issuing a warning to the headmaster.

Now Mr. Pöyry seems to go around on a rampage, trying to fix his tarnished reputation by suing people who were angered by the news articles (not a smart tactic). It will be an interesting landmark case for Finnish bloggers, because if Jani is convicted, a great many people will have to start and bite their tongues. While Jani's language is harsh, it is not unheard of, and I've read far worse comments about other people in both blogs and the USENET newsgroups. Besides, Jani has written about it only once - some others have been doing it for years.

Update: The Enter-magazine wants to know why the Oulu police is telling Jani to remove the pages, as this is clearly unconstitutional? Only a court can order web pages to be shut down...

Update2: The story of askola.org is also worth reading. A local elected representative of Askola has been holding a column on the Internet, criticizing the Central party -lead town council, and was sued for slander. He was found guilty and was sentenced to 200,000 € worth of damages (which is very high in Finland), but has since appealed to the EU human rights court. The case seems otherwise pretty usual, petty Finnish local politics, but what is really odd is that apparently two separate courts refused to say exactly what he had done wrong and point out the parts of his writings that are libelous. That worries me a lot. Anyway, he has now decided to carry a video camera with him to the council sessions and tape everything, which seems to have a very calming effect on the sessions. I think this is a good example of the transparent society in action, and how it would benefit even on a local level.

Update3: The police has now instructed Jani to remove the offending material from the website according to the ".fi top level domain rules", which state that the police can ask for a suspension of a domain, if it's suspected to be used in crime. However, Jani's web site is under the ".net" -TLD, so to me this sounds awfully like an unlawful threat... What kind of police behaviour is this!?! "Remove the stuff or we'll shut you down completely!" What happened to "innocent until proven guilty"?

Update4: The media got interested as well. Tuomas Kilpi of Enter-magazine has asked the Finnish high-ranking police officials and the Ministry of Communication wh

...

Google to be Sued Over Name?

Google to be Sued Over Name? 05/18/2004 08:42 AM

Google sued over copyright

Google sued over copyright 03/23/2005 11:01 PM
Globe and Mail Mar 24 2005 3:21AM GMT

Google sued by Planet Goo

Google sued by Planet Goo 07/08/2004 03:45 AM
When colored balls clash

Google Sued For Age Discrimination

Google Sued For Age Discrimination 07/25/2004 12:54 PM
Search Engine Journal Jul 25 2004 5:13PM GMT

Google sued by start-up over code

Google sued by start-up over code 07/01/2004 03:23 AM
ZDNet UK Jul 1 2004 8:16AM GMT

Google and Yahoo sued over gambling ads

Google and Yahoo sued over gambling ads 08/04/2004 04:27 AM
ZDNet UK Aug 4 2004 8:22AM GMT

Google Sued Over Search Advertising
Practices

Google Sued Over Search Advertising
Practices 01/29/2004 03:49 AM
American Blind and Wallpaper Factory alleges that Google infringes on its trademarks by allowing competitors to bid on certain keywords for high placement in paid search results. Google search partners, including AOL, also are targeted in the suit.

Google sued over Orkut bug replication
feature

Google sued over Orkut bug replication
feature 07/02/2004 06:16 PM
Your bugs are our IP

Now Google Getting Sued For Blocking
Trademarked Terms

Now Google Getting Sued For Blocking
Trademarked Terms 12/12/2003 03:10 PM
A few months back, France fined Google for selling ads based on trademarked terms. I was surprised, because in my own experiments with Google ads, I've had a few ads that were rejected because they (according to Google) contained trademarked terms. Personally, I don't see how buying a keyword is, in any way, a violation of trademark. The point of a trademark is to protect the company from having someone else appear to be you. You can't sell Bob's Cola and put a Coca-Cola label on it. However, if someone is looking for Coca-Cola, there's nothing wrong with suggesting they might also want to look at Bob's Cola, as well. Anyway, now it looks like Google may get hit from the other side as well. They've been fined for selling ads based on trademarks, and now, apparently, they're going to ge t sued for blocking ads based on trademark complaints. The pending lawsuit apparently says that Google is banning ads on terms that aren't trademarked as soon as anyone complains. That is, Google doesn't check to see if there's an actual trademark - they just ban the ad as soon as there's a complaint. The group that's going to sue says they've brought together over 3,000 complaining advertisers who have had ads blocked. As mentioned, I've had my ads blocked too, but this seems like a ridiculous lawsuit. Where in the law does it say that Google has to sell you ads for whatever you want? They have the right to reject ads for whatever reason they want. It is their system, after all. If people believe they're blocking ads unfairly, then isn't that an opening for competitors to better serve advertisers by offering them something that Google doesn't?

Google Says Sued Over Orkut Code
(Reuters)

Google Says Sued Over Orkut Code
(Reuters) 06/30/2004 10:29 PM
Reuters - Google Inc. said late on Wednesday that it has been sued by Affinity Engines, which alleges that Google's Orkut social networking site is built with code stolen from its company.

Google sued by Digital Envoy over
GeoTargeting Technology.

Google sued by Digital Envoy over
GeoTargeting Technology. 04/09/2004 04:06 PM

Google and Overture Sued by Geico Over
Keyterm Trademarks

Google and Overture Sued by Geico Over
Keyterm Trademarks 05/19/2004 12:15 AM
Search Engine Journal May 19 2004 4:49AM GMT

Google sued over alleged Orkut code
theft

Google sued over alleged Orkut code
theft 07/01/2004 12:31 AM
Social networking software company Affinity Engines is suing Google, accusing them of stealing code which is used in their orkut.com social-networking venture. Google denies the allegations, but will the suit harm them as they prepare for their IPO?

Alcatel Surfs 3G Wave

Alcatel Surfs 3G Wave 07/08/2004 07:22 AM
Unstrung.com Jul 8 2004 10:39AM GMT

Briton Surfs Tsunami, Survives (Reuters)

Briton Surfs Tsunami, Survives (Reuters) 12/31/2004 12:46 PM
Reuters - British surfer Martin Markwell had always dreamed of catching that perfect wave -- but when it finally came along, it was a nightmare.

SPIEGEL Surfs the Web: Welcome t'th'
Internet, Y'All!

SPIEGEL Surfs the Web: Welcome t'th'
Internet, Y'All! 03/28/2005 08:38 AM
Spiegel Online Mar 28 2005 12:45PM GMT

Girl Who Lost Arm to Shark Surfs in Meet
(AP)

Girl Who Lost Arm to Shark Surfs in Meet
(AP) 01/11/2004 09:05 AM
AP - Teen surfer Bethany Hamilton returned to competition just 10 weeks after losing her left arm in a shark attack.

Commentary: Novell surfs the open-source
wave

Commentary: Novell surfs the open-source
wave 05/13/2004 09:16 PM
CNET May 14 2004 1:21AM GMT

"Guy surfs incredibly huge wave,
apparently from Hurricane Ivan."

"Guy surfs incredibly huge wave,
apparently from Hurricane Ivan." 09/22/2004 08:24 AM

O'Neill in second libel win

O'Neill in second libel win 05/04/2004 07:55 AM
Celtic boss Martin O'Neill wins libel damages from a second newspaper which alleged he was leaving the club.

mi2g - fud, lies and libel

mi2g - fud, lies and libel 07/21/2004 08:08 PM
not-mi2g_at_hushmail.com (Jul 20 2004)

Libel Law Still Not Settled For Bloggers

Libel Law Still Not Settled For Bloggers 06/16/2004 10:45 PM
In the last year, we've received five or six legal threats at Techdirt. In every case, it concerned a comment on the site not written by anyone here, which should protect us from any real lawsuit. In most cases, the threatening party went away pretty quickly when the law was explained to them, but some people always feel that they need to sue. While the legal protections are mostly clear, some parts of internet libel law are still unsettled. It may depend on where you are, and whether or not you get a judge who actually understands the internet. Part of the problem is that most of the laws written for print publications have not been extended to the internet where applicable. The other problem is that not every judge has interpreted some of the laws in the same way. Either way, it seems likely that there are going to be many more lawsuits before this issue gets settled.

libel insurance for bl0ggers

libel insurance for bl0ggers 02/19/2004 03:28 PM
i am thinking i need some pardon-my-big-mouth coverage

Amazon settles libel suit

Amazon settles libel suit 12/21/2003 06:12 AM
USA Today Dec 21 2003 5:16AM ET

Rowan Atkinson wins libel pay-out

Rowan Atkinson wins libel pay-out 04/22/2004 06:43 AM
Actor Rowan Atkinson accepts libel damages over newspaper allegations he was on the edge of a breakdown.

Eastwood settles £5.5m libel case

Eastwood settles £5.5m libel case 08/13/2004 03:55 AM
Actor Clint Eastwood settles a $10m (£5.5m) libel case over a book that accused him of beating his ex-wife.

Internet libel is 'a woolly area'

Internet libel is 'a woolly area' 01/06/2005 04:26 AM
Irish News Jan 6 2005 8:29AM GMT

Hain almost faced sex libel case

Hain almost faced sex libel case 08/20/2004 02:18 AM
Commons Leader Peter Hain almost faced a criminal libel prosecution over sex scandal allegations he made 30 years ago.

New Internet Anti-Libel Law
Unenforceable For Now: NEC

New Internet Anti-Libel Law
Unenforceable For Now: NEC 04/12/2004 10:06 AM
Digital Chosunilbo Apr 12 2004 1:38PM GMT

If murder won't work, try crying libel

If murder won't work, try crying libel 07/14/2004 10:35 PM
Salon Jul 15 2004 2:39AM GMT

Calif. Woman Sues Schwarzenegger for
Libel

Calif. Woman Sues Schwarzenegger for
Libel 12/09/2003 01:33 AM
Reuters via Wired News Dec 9 2003 0:32AM ET

Doctor Who actor wins libel case

Doctor Who actor wins libel case 06/29/2004 09:08 AM
Actor Christopher Eccleston, who stars in the new Doctor Who, wins a libel case over his professional conduct.

Yet Another Case About The Jurisdiction
Over Internet Libel Charges

Yet Another Case About The Jurisdiction
Over Internet Libel Charges 03/14/2005 05:27 PM
This is a legal question that's going to keep showing up: is a news publisher liable for libel laws in countries other than where they publish, if they publish on the web? A few years ago, an Australian court ruled yes, saying an Australian man could sue Dow Jones in Australia over a story they wrote and hosted in the US. Last month, a similar case got some attention, but this time, because the person who felt wrong lived in Saudi Arabia, but sued in the UK because they have stricter libel laws. This, of course, demonstrates the real problem with leaving this jurisdictional question open: people will jurisdiction shop to find one with more favorable laws. The latest case adds another twist. A former UN official accused of various "sexual and financial transgressions" is suing the Washington Post over their stories on the subject in Canada. A Canadian court has said this is okay. In his defense, he does live in Canada. However, he didn't move there until three years after the article was published. Either way, these types of cases are going to become increasingly common, and certain locations will build up reputations for (a) allowing internet libel cases that originated elsewhere to be heard there and (b) for regularly siding with the individual making the accusations.

Law Offers Internet Publishers Scant
Guidance on Libel

Law Offers Internet Publishers Scant
Guidance on Libel 06/16/2004 09:26 PM
Online Journalism Review Jun 17 2004 1:19AM GMT

Amazon pays libel damages again over
Northern Ireland book

Amazon pays libel damages again over
Northern Ireland book 12/22/2003 09:04 AM
Third time around

No Caterpillar, No Cocoon? -
Plus--Whistling past the libel
graveyard. By Mickey Kaus

No Caterpillar, No Cocoon? -
Plus--Whistling past the libel
graveyard. By Mickey Kaus 07/23/2004 09:38 AM
Mickey Kaus .. Kausfiles' .. Kausfiles .. MK

slate.msn.com/id/2104072
track this site | 3 links

Libel Suit 9/11 - Michael Moore's
hysterical, empty threats. By Jack
Shafer

Libel Suit 9/11 - Michael Moore's
hysterical, empty threats. By Jack
Shafer 06/22/2004 12:19 PM
Libel Suit 9/11: Michael Moore's hysterical, empty threats .. runs the gauntlet of Michael Moore's lawyers .. eggs him on

slate.msn.com/id/2102725
track this site | 5 links

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Google Sued for Libel After Man Ego Surfs

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