Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Maryland Court of Appeals, the internet and the first amendment

In Annapolis, the Court of Appeals took a trip to cyberspace Monday, as the judges heard arguments in a clash between the First Amendment right of people to speak anonymously and the ability of a businessman to pursue a claim of defamation based on anonymous comments posted on the Internet.

Independent Newspapers Inc., which publishes community newspapers on the Eastern Shore, is fighting a discovery order to surrender the names of people whose posts on an online community forum allegedly defamed the operator of a Centreville Dunkin’ Donuts by characterizing him as a polluter.

Interesting case and article here from The Daily Record

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