[WikiEN-l] Libel law

Thu Dec 8 13:24:46 UTC 2005

On 12/8/05, Justin Cormack <justin at specialbusservice.com> wrote:
> Actually (ignoring the rest of this thread), UK libel law is probably
> the most important in the world, mainly because it is so bad and you
> can choose your jurisdiction. Cases have been heard where Americans
> sue Americans about libels in US publications just because a few
> copies reached the UK. For many years the UK was the only place any
> major libel cases were heard (in the days of [[Peter Carter-Ruck]]),
> as you could get serious damages and it was very much slanted in
> your favour. It has changed a bit now. The main thing was you didnt
> have to prove damages, unlike in the US; you would get a notional
> (often large but once famously a penny) amount of damages for loss
> of reputation.

This is tempered by the fact that UK libel law is so bad that most
other countries will not enforce a UK libel judgment.

Kelly