Heartland

Yesterday a judicial decision was made after a lawsuit, where one forum member sued the forum owner because another forum member has insulted him.
For more info on the case check here.

A Hamburg court has ruled that moderators of internet forums are liable for content posted on their sites.
The previous interpretation held that they were only accountable for illegal content they had been made aware of. The new ruling means if operators do not have enough in-house resources to monitor forums, they should “reduce the scope of their business operations�.

What are you people thinking about that decision? Is Quiffy to blame if I'm calling people names on here? Should we drag him in front of court if DarkAngel/Rosalie/WhoeverTrollsaround attacks long-serving HL-members? Does that possibly mean the end of Heartland?

Any Opinions?

"Hamburg court has ruled that moderators of internet forums are liable for content posted on their sites."

moderators, rather than just the administrators? or do they really mean site owners?

either way. i'm not overly concerned.

yet

besides, any injured party would need to prove anything had been posted to offend them

still, might do to add a(nother?) disclaimer to the T&Cs you agree to when you register

something like "you hereby promise not cry like a baby if someone insults you, and handle it like a mature adult and not blame the forum administration staff" should cover it

Would something like that not only apply in cases where it would apply in (quote unquote) "real life"... libel, slander etc

I mean, it's perfectly legal to insult people in ever other sphere of life, so...

Its statement speaks of "people who operate facilities in which content is disseminated as in the press."

in which case, they can f**k off, because it (probably) clearly states that most of the stuff posted on here is gibberish and certainly not "news"

The press / gibberish... I fail to see how those two are seperate concepts, Quiff

People need to get a grip and grow the f*ck up.

boudicca wrote:The press / gibberish... I fail to see how those two are seperate concepts, Quiff

good point

SINsister wrote:People need to get a grip and grow the f*ck up.

But that would take effort.

Have people actually lost the ability to press the OFF button these days?!?!?

wtf...

It actually surprises me that this case is German, not American (I thought only Americans were lawsuit-happy jerks..?)...

Doktor Gott wrote:Have people actually lost the ability to press the OFF button these days?!?!?

wtf...

That would require functioning brain cells - after all, neurons must fire, etc., to get signal from brain to finger in order to press said OFF button...

SINsister wrote:

Doktor Gott wrote:Have people actually lost the ability to press the OFF button these days?!?!?

wtf...

That would require functioning brain cells - after all, neurons must fire, etc., to get signal from brain to finger in order to press said OFF button...

If everyone painted "DO NOT PRESS" in big red letters on their off buttons, it might just work....

Surely all needs doing is an extra line in the "conditions of joining the madhouse" saying that people take responsibility for the content they post and that using the site constitutes acceptance of this rather than anything towards the mods/owner/etc/etc.

You'd like to think it's just common sense but these days it seems that sense isn't common whereas legal threats are......

Either that or a fixed disclaimer in the signature, but then we are getting into really stupid territory.

By the way, I did not, at any point there incinuate that anyone was in any way stupid....

Looking at the article, my interpretation is that ruling would mean that slashdot and similar sites would be legally responsible if and when links posted cause the sites linked to to go down under increased bandwidth.

And quite frankly that's bollocks.

A court in Hamburg eh..... wouldn't put it past to sue the lot of us !

f**k it I'm suing all of you

Not If I sue you first for typing in a funny way.....
I am sure that was meant to offend us all & I am on the phone to my mother, i mean my lawyer already

Bring it on, biznatch! \m/

your on

SINsister wrote:It actually surprises me that this case is German, not American (I thought only Americans were lawsuit-happy jerks..?)...

I'm actually glad you said it first.

Otherwise I could have been sued for being anti-American.

Badlander wrote:

SINsister wrote:It actually surprises me that this case is German, not American (I thought only Americans were lawsuit-happy jerks..?)...

I'm actually glad you said it first.

Otherwise I could have been sued for being anti-American.

Yeah, but *you're* not the one who'll end up in Guantanamo for treason, see...

Dr. Moody wrote:

your on

*Shudder*

I totally disagree with one of the members above because he/she is an arse.
I'm not saying which one and it's not the one you're thinking of.

All postings are the ramblings of a warped mind ,any resemblance to an insult is totally coincidental.

Coward!!!

You can't say that!

How about we all take a moment to agree that if some kind of forumey fight breaks lose right now none of us will sue Quiff Boy.

Now, who's slighted your worldview Pat?