Libel Lawsuit Tourism?
The English judicial system, with its notable reputation for its strict libel law, has become a tourist attraction for upper-class victims of defamation. This week’s Economist follows the suit of a Ukrainian English-language newspaper, which printed a questionable article about Rinat Akhmetov, one of the countries wealthiest individuals. Akhmetov was able to sue the paper for libel in an English court, thanks to the paper’s 100 English subscribers.
Several other high profile cases reveal the extent to which English law favors the plaintiff in defamation cases, including a successful suit brought by a Saudi man against an American author, Rachel Ehrenfeld, for a book that barely sold in Britain.
How do you feel about libel lawsuit tourism? Let us know in the comments.
Civil Rights In Cyberspace
A nationwide class action suit being filed by the National Federation for the Blind could eventually change the design of most websites running today. The NFB has filed suit against Target for a lack of compliance with certain protocol that provide access to websites for the blind. These provisions include access via keyboard controls as opposed to a mouse and compatibility with screen reader programs. The NFB has stated that by neglecting these features Target is discriminating against it’s blind consumers, a statement creating waves throughout the arenas of Civil Rights litigation and big business alike.
The basis for the suit comes from the American with Disabilities Act which guarantees access for all to the marketplace; the question in this case is whether or not this marketplace includes cyberspace. The NFB has recognized that the Target website is offered as a benefit rather than a public accommodation but will fight their case on the inability to access certain features including the store locater, various coupons and prescription refill forms. Target attempted to have the case dismissed on the grounds that the ADA does not specify any regulations for websites but this motion was denied.
Despite the movement forward of the class action suit, it will be no easy task for the firm of Brown, Goldstein & Levy to win this case but due to the unprecedented nature of this case both the NFB and Brown, Goldstein & Levy realize that a definitive win may not be necessary to make a difference for the blind. Whether or not damages are awarded in this case, the mere presence of it is making big businesses rethink and redesign their webpages. It is not as much the fines that businesses are afraid of but the potential loss of customers over the issue. Companies such as Amazon are already working with the NFB to make appropriate changes to their sites.
Microsoft Teams Up with One Laptop Per Child
The One Laptop Per Child iniative, led by computer researcher Nicholas Negroponte, has a proud history of pioneering open source technology with the Linux operating system. This week, however, OLPC and Microsoft announced an agreement to begin selling the laptops, specially designed for education in poor classrooms, with Windows XP operability. The price for the machines, currently around $200 but set to drop with growing demand, will increase by about $3 each. Negroponte believes that the inclusion of Windows on the computers will make them more marketable to governments in the developing world, which have shown hesitation in embracing the Linux system for their children.
Many observers have been surprised by the collaboration between the two companies, citing Microsoft’s traditional hostility to open source software. But, both companies and consumers alike seem to agree that familiarizing children in third world countries with Windows could only improve their set of skills and potential for success in the increasingly global and computer based economy.
Lawdable Quotes: Bell Hooks
Justice demands integrity. It’s to have a moral universe — not only know what is right or wrong but to put things in perspective, weigh things. Justice is different from violence and retribution; it requires complex accounting.
~Bell Hooks
Lawdable Quotes: Lucretia Mott
We too often bind ourselves by authorities rather than by the truth.
~Lucretia Mott