Getting sued for what you say on a messageboard

[Marcantony]

http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,50548,00.html

I think Im in trouble...

 

[Gez]

Post: 2. No, I don't think you'll have trouble. At least not because of the ENBoards.

Well... They want to ruin the fun of trolling, don't they ?

 

[Don]

Hey, this is a serious issue. Posting negative messages about companies on message boards hurts companies, which, in turn, negatively affects the economy, which, as a result, helps terrorists.

So, if you badmouth a company on a messageboard, you're HELPING TERRORISTS!!

 

[Piratecat]

Don, you're trying to be funny, but you're also inadvertently inciting a major flame war. Not so cool. Next time, please don't make political references, even when they're clever, funny or ironic.

No one respond to the humorous post with vitriol, please. Thanks!

 

[Don]

Oops, sorry Piratecat. I had no idea that could be taken in any sort of inflammatory way.

 

[Eryx]

To be honest, I think the idea of sueing someone for what they post on a chat/forum is pathetic.

Have these people never heard of free speech?

 

[Walter_J]

Vitriol? Is that like viagra with a twist? Sorry, I missed the inflammatory part too. Not to mention the missing humor...

 

[Vaxalon]

And the moral here is:

"Don't tell lies about people."

 

[ColonelHardisson]

If I'm reading it correctly, then this isn't such an ominous thing. Basically, criticizing a company and its products or services based on your assessment of their relative quality is one thing; accusing the company or a person in that company of illegal activities you can't prove is another.

 

[dvvega]

The Colonel is right. If you give an opinion you're AOK, however accusations, and slander amount to defamatory comment and are targetable for suing, and so forth.