US court rules blogger immunity for comments

The US First Circuit Court of Appeals (one below the Supreme Court) has ruled Lycos, a message board administrator, is not liable for an alleged defamatory statement regarding the value of Universal Communication Systems stock.

The court noted that “Congress intended that, within broad limits, message board operators would not be held responsible for the postings made by others on that board,” adding that allowing bloggers and message board operators to be sued for the statements of commenters on their sites would have an “obvious chilling effect” on speech.

The full court decision is here.

Hat Tip: Sir Humphrey’s