Topic Defamation

Supreme Court makes a statement (or five) about defamation on the internet and where to sue

Nice houseSo a HUGELY important internet law case came out of the Supreme Court of Canada [/checks watch] almost 3 months ago now. Hmmm. I seemed to have taken the summer off. It was just too darn hot and humid for blogging! But school starts next week (hello McGill LAWG 534 readers!) so I better get my ass back in scholastic mode.

More importantly (and truthfully), I have been dreading writing about this case, even though it’s kinda interesting, and it’s my job to write about these things, and it’s my job to understand these things so I can teach them to the youths. Lemme explain.

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Shifty-eyed internet law expert saying things on national TV again

can am marci ienLibel! Tweets! Hockey! If there was ever a story the media would come calling to yours truly, it’s this one. Quick background for those too lazy to read the linked article – TSN rebroadcast a defamatory tweet on TV. Whoopsie! Said tweet involved two Toronto Maple Leafs and Elisha Cuthbert, and is rated NC-17 for language and sexual situations. Here’s some defamation background for you. The players and Cuthbert want to sue TSN and the original tweeter. TSN is owned by Bell, who also partly own the Leafs. Awwwwkward.

Unfortunately still no embeddable video from CTV, so you’ll have to click over there to watch it. Please ignore the blinking and “you know”s. Ugh.

Oh and btw, the delightful Marci Ien refers to me as “legal specialist on all things internet, lawyer Allen Mendelsohn” in her intro. Please put that on my tombstone.

Some thoughts on online defamation because apparently I am an expert now

pssstt....If you have read the news in the last couple of weeks, or turned on CBC radio, or listened to talk radio, you may have read some quotes from me or heard the dulcet tones of my voice. I have been media whoring like, well, a media whore. Last week it was the Brian Burke lawsuit. This week it was the sad story of the British Columbia teacher who was totally screwed by his ex-girlfriend online and is still suffering for it. These cases have brought to light the messy ugly side of the internet. Or as some people have argued, a terrible overreaction in the Brian Burke case. Let’s use these cases to talk about online defamation, what you should know about it, and the effects on you as both a potential plaintiff and defendant, you cocksucking whore (see what i did there?).

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