Wikipedia:Libel: Difference between revisions
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Isis~enwiki (talk | contribs) in the u.s. truth is an absolute defense, and npov may be good enough |
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::Luckily the server is in the more enlightened (at least on this matter) United States where truth is a defense. But individual contributors do need to make sure that what ''they'' write is legal in their country (since they are subject to their contries' laws). There is a similar issue right now on the French Wikipedia where a group of contributors want to limit the contributions of anther Wikipedian based on their view of French law. That is a very wrong approach especially since the contributor making the edits that could possibly be illegal in France is not (if I remember right) subject to French law. Besides, as you rightly point out, there is not risk of libel (at least most in Western Nations) if the contributor follows NPOV. --[[User:Maveric149|mav]] |
::Luckily the server is in the more enlightened (at least on this matter) United States where truth is a defense. But individual contributors do need to make sure that what ''they'' write is legal in their country (since they are subject to their contries' laws). There is a similar issue right now on the French Wikipedia where a group of contributors want to limit the contributions of anther Wikipedian based on their view of French law. That is a very wrong approach especially since the contributor making the edits that could possibly be illegal in France is not (if I remember right) subject to French law. Besides, as you rightly point out, there is not risk of libel (at least most in Western Nations) if the contributor follows NPOV. --[[User:Maveric149|mav]] |
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Assuming ''arguendo'' that NPOV statements are not actionable defamation in the U.S., there are a great number of statements on the Talk pages that are not NPOV, and most can be traced to their writers, not just to anonymous IPs that would leave Bomis holding the bag. -- [[User:Isis|isis]] 05:33 Feb 2, 2003 (UTC) |
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Revision as of 05:33, 2 February 2003
It might be a good idea to have a Wikipedia page on this, because there's at least as much risk of liability for defamatory publications as for copyright violations here. -- isis 14:48 Feb 1, 2003 (UTC)
- No risk of civil penalties if NPOV adhered to. Criminal penalties are
- an entirely different thing. Many countries including Canada have laws
- which make it an offence to spead the truth if the primary purpose of the
- libel is to injure the reputation of another. It is the threat of lawsuit that
- provides the libel chill. Fearlessness can be aided by the knowledge that : libel suits often blow-up in the face of the litigant. Canada Criminal Code : libel sanctions include up to two years in a federal penitentary: truth is no : defence.
- The Quebec Civil Code (based on the Napoleonic Code) make libels
- against the dead actionable by their heirs. The Q.C.C. also provides
- stronger privacy legislation than virtually any jurisdiction, which can serve
- the same ends as a libel suit.
- Luckily the server is in the more enlightened (at least on this matter) United States where truth is a defense. But individual contributors do need to make sure that what they write is legal in their country (since they are subject to their contries' laws). There is a similar issue right now on the French Wikipedia where a group of contributors want to limit the contributions of anther Wikipedian based on their view of French law. That is a very wrong approach especially since the contributor making the edits that could possibly be illegal in France is not (if I remember right) subject to French law. Besides, as you rightly point out, there is not risk of libel (at least most in Western Nations) if the contributor follows NPOV. --mav
Assuming arguendo that NPOV statements are not actionable defamation in the U.S., there are a great number of statements on the Talk pages that are not NPOV, and most can be traced to their writers, not just to anonymous IPs that would leave Bomis holding the bag. -- isis 05:33 Feb 2, 2003 (UTC)