This result is not surprising. If a newspaper publishes an defamatory article but withholds the author's name they will be ordered to disclose the name (and the newspaper will be liable for the defamation). Here that principle is just applied to Google.
Canadian model Liskula Cohen is used to the sometimes catty attitudes of the New York fashion world, but when one woman decided to dig her claws into her in an online blog, Cohen fought back.
CTV.ca News Staff
In August 2008, Cohen ran across a blog on Blogger.com, called "Skanks in NYC." The now defunct blog included five anonymous postings that read "I would have to say the first-place award for 'Skankiest in NYC' would have to go to Liskula Gentile Cohen."
The posts included pictures of 5-foot-10 blond Cohen and an unidentified man in sexually suggestive positions, with captions describing her as a "skanky ho'" and "a psychotic, lying, whoring skank."
Cohen, 37, a Canadian-born cover girl who has appeared in Vogue and other fashion magazines, was livid and demanded that Google, the owner of the blogging service, give her the poster's identity. When Google refused, Cohen took it to court -- and won.
On Tuesday, New York Supreme Court Judge Joan Madden agreed that Cohen was entitled to information about the blogger and ordered Google to turn it over.
2 comments:
That's setting a scary precedent for all bloggers.
Yeah, you can't defame anonymously.
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