Universities, Defamation and the Internet

Abstract

The potential effect of defamation law on discourse over the Internet has attracted considerable comment,' in part because a high proportion of the small number of lawsuits arising out of Internet communications have involved defamation claims.2 If the threat of defamation liability becomes an important means of regulating expression on the Internet, the law of England and Wales3 is likely to play a central role in this development. London's appeal to libel plaintiffs extends beyond the shores of the United Kingdom, with potential litigants attracted by several substantive advantages afforded claimants by English law4 and by London's recent history of large damage awards and settlements in libel cases.5 English courts will usually exercise jurisdiction over cases involving parties who do not reside in Britain so long as the defamatory statement at issue is 'published' (disseminated to others) within England and Wales.6 Since virtually all statements made on the