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Reader comment on:
N.Y. Appeals Court Opens Door to 'Libel Tourism'

Submitted by Scott Baker, Dec 20, 2007 17:22

I believe the court erred on this one. It opened the door to thuosands of frivilous lawsuits brough in England or elsewhere, against American authors - saying almost anything. After all, if any person's name is mentioned, however slightly, that person can take offense. Now, if they happen to reside abroad, American writers (Directors, actors, journalists etc.) will be subject to a foreign court's interpretation of what constitutes libel, which may be very different from how it's defined here. I guess this is not a surprising development, given how the Arabs are buying up our companies, and perhaps soon, our media as well. Oh, was that a libelous statement...?

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
I(n my opinion the reason the Saudies' our stepping on our Constutional right to our first ammendment is fear in... [MORE]	Patricia Levy	Dec 22, 2007 02:58
If the court in New York has no jurisdiction over Mahfouz, then it stands to reason the the British court... [MORE]	Chris	Dec 22, 2007 00:09
I've just read the decisiohn, and I contratulate Bruce for his ability to summarize it so succinctly. It's no big... [MORE]	Jim O'Sullivan	Dec 21, 2007 10:30
This issue needs a dual track solution - First, get this case into Federal Court - If you want First Amendment... [MORE]	Art Fougner MD	Dec 21, 2007 08:07
The sky is not falling. The NY court just held that Ehrenfeld can't sue bin Mahfouz over the English libel... [MORE]	Bruce	Dec 21, 2007 00:29
I had read only one of Ms. Ehrenfeld books. Ironically, it was a translation into Spanish. I found her courageous, honest... [MORE]	John House	Dec 20, 2007 21:18
It just doesn't matter what happens in a British court concerning an American citizen. The NY court was right...because the... [MORE]	Rob	Dec 21, 2007 20:30
They found a technicality as an escape -- makes me wonder. [MORE]	Yankee Doodle	Dec 20, 2007 20:08
In a related decision today, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that "the Constitution is, indeed, a suicide pact." /sarcasm... [MORE]	Mark Jaeger	Dec 20, 2007 19:45
I believe the court erred on this one. It opened the door to thuosands of frivilous lawsuits brough in England...	Scott Baker	Dec 20, 2007 17:22
Anyone concerned about freedom of speech, especially related to investigative journalism, should be worried. Such a decision can only make... [MORE]	Claudine Guay	Dec 21, 2007 11:23