BPC Bulletin: Ontario Judge Rules Against Anonymous Defendants in Online Defamation Dispute
News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carterof the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee.
In an Ontario courtroom, a judge recently ruled against several anonymous defendants who had posted defamatory messages on the Internet.
However, the victorious plaintiffs still don’t know who most of the defendants are. The plaintiffs could also face difficulty when they try to collect the money that the judge awarded to pay for the damage to their reputations.
Justice Frederick Myers of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled on this unusual case — Theralase Technologies Inc. v. Lanter — on January 13, 2020.
REPORTAGE
In The Lawyer’s Daily, Ian Burns reports:
https://www.thelawyersdaily.ca/articles/17591/judgment-shows-you-can-t-hide-behind-internet-and-get-away-with-defamation-lawyers-say
In the Law Times, Anita Balakrishnan reports:
https://www.lawtimesnews.com/practice-areas/privacy-and-data/how-lawyers-brought-down-internet-trolls-without-ever-uncovering-their-identities/325085
Colin Perkel of the Canadian Press reports:
COMMENTARY
In The ChronicleHerald, Russell Wangersky comments:
https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/regional-perspectives/russell-wangersky-the-internet-is-no-place-to-hide-399476/
The Book and Periodical Council was formed in 1975 as the Book and Periodical Development Council to provide a venue for members to discuss industry issues, address mutual concerns and undertake projects for the benefit of Canadian writing and publishing.