Bloggers under threat
Well thank god for our stupid libel laws again! Justin McKeating has blogged and sent an email around alerting us to the fact that Tim Ireland and Craig Murray’s blogs have both been taken down by their hosting company.
It happened because both had asked questions about Uzbek minerals billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who recently bought shares in Arsenal. The Guardian pointed out last week:
Schillings, the lawyers acting for Usmanov, have been in touch with several independent Arsenal supporters’ websites and blogs warning them to remove postings referring to allegations made against him by Craig Murray, the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan. Usmanov was jailed under the old Soviet regime but says that he was a political prisoner who was then freed and granted a full pardon once Mikhail Gorbachev came to power as president. Schillings have warned the websites that repetition of Murray’s allegations were regarded as “false, indefensible and grossly defamatory”.
More on Obsolete. British libel laws always make it more difficult on the party with less money. So hosting companies don’t want to take a chance and, at the first threat of legal proceedings, will capitulate. Tim and Craig’s example is worrying because it may have repercussions for British blogging in general. So do blog about this and spread the word! This will hopefully make others re-think before issuing legal threats to bloggers. Oh by the way, we’re hosted in the United States, which have different libel laws 
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(Send me or Justin the link if you’ve blogged this please. Phew! It’s getting difficult to keep up! I’m just mirroring Justin now…)
Banners: Matt Wardman and Unity have banners too.
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
Being hosted in the U.S. won’t stop Usmanov’s lawyers. I am hosted there too, and they came after me, citing a prior case that basically refers to the fact that foreign-based websites are accessible in the U.K..
Boris Johnson’s site has apparently suffered ‘collateral damage’. Its worth pointing out that no matter how much everyone may disagree Usmanov is within his rights to behave this way. Different webhosting companies are after all available.
That said trying to take the internet on with legal threats is amusingly futile.
[...] Thanks to one and all, I think we can safely say the genie is out of the bottle: Curious Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
[...] a hat tip I must mention in no particular order Wonkos world, Chicken Yoghurt, Curious Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
I wonder if Guido will join in with the fun in fighting those that use legal threats to silence bloggers…
[...] 21st, 2007 by leon The bullshit detailed here must be fought, link to it or any of the blogs carrying it to show that fucker what we [...]
I wonder if Guido will join in with the fun in fighting those that use legal threats to silence bloggers… ~ Leon
Ouch. Nice one, dude.
Leon: Thanks. I was waiting ever-so-patiently for someone to say that.
He has an allegedly libel-resistant host his disposal, too… I wonder what’s keeping him?
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
[Being hosted in the U.S. won’t stop Usmanov’s lawyers. I am hosted there too, and they came after me]
Did the approach your hosts directly? The real problem for Craig Murray and Tim Ireland is that while they might be prepared to take on Usmanov, their hosts are not.
Being hosted in the US won’t help if you live in the UK. The Wall Street Journal was sued by a Saudi in London in 2003 (see here) – the WSJ won, because very few people in the UK saw the story online, but the principle remains: if the story is available, it’s effectively published here, no matter where it’s hosted.
Incidentally, it should be noted that truth is not absolute defence in British libel law – in certain circumstances, you can be accused of saying something that is true “with malice”, in which case you’re in the hands of the subjective decision of a judge.
Hopefully if Boris becomes Mayor of London he can get Usmanov back.
Sorry about your site Tim- if there is anything we can do…
Bartholomew:
It is the imputation which is important here rather than the facts. Libel is usually concerned with ‘facts’ plus ‘opinion’. The McCanns were named as suspects – fact. The McCanns are likely to be guilty – opinion. In this case the truth of the facts is not the issue and is no defence. The imputation is false and therefore libelous.
If I point out that Usmonov is morbidly obese (fact) there isn’t much he can do about it. If I go on to suggest it is due to gluttony I’m on dodgy ground
Heh I wouldn’t hold my breath tbh…
Craig Murry is inspiring. The man has cajunes.
Can I see link to cached page of the Murray article? Or is posting the link transgressing ‘Godfrey v Demon Internet’ too?
Bartholomew: True, but it’s very rare that US hosts will pull the plug on you, which is just what has happened here.
Sid: put Usmanov’s full name as one word in front of blogspot.com and you’ll find it.
I reckon we should google bomb Alisher Usmanov too…;)
[...] UPDATE 4: Bloggers react at – The Waendal Journal, Arseblog, Arsenal football news, The perfect pitch,Marginalised action dinosaur,modernity blog, rebellion sucks, Our Kingdom, Beau bo D’or , cynical chatter from the underworld, mediawatch, Anorak news, Soccerlens, chicken yoghurt, Sunny, [...]
[...] use of the bullying tactics of defamation law and rich plaintiffs to silence blog comment. Also on: Pickled Politics, Hamster, Blairwatch, Mike P, David T, Iain D, TC, David S, 10%, Suesam, Tim W, Dizzy, Jailhouse, [...]
AHA! TERRRIBLE..
indymedia’s servers in the US were seized by the FBI i remember.
this kind of thing shows up the the a real need for peer-to-peer networks.
indymedia UK’s servers – i should probably like to clarify.
and hosting companies are chicken shit in the US anyway, no more no less than over here. if someone puts the squeeze on..
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
[...] Pickled Politics has just pointed out, the internet is under threat from a crazy Russian/Uzbeki and his stooge [...]
so which hosting company is it does anyone know?
[...] the breadth of interest and bears repeating: Wonkos world, Chicken Yoghurt, Curious Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
Wow! That story bears a stiking resembelance to any entirely random thought I had last night. How very curious.
http://clairwil.blogspot.com/2007/09/entirely-random-thought.html
[...] this is all over the UK blogosphere, e.g. Chicken Yoghurt, Curious Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
[...] by Sunny on 21st September, 2007 at 5:22 pm More 4 News are tonight covering the blogger campaign in support of Tim Ireland and Craig Murray for the 8pm news programme. I’ll be on there [...]
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
[...] accounts does the trick. One problem, well over a hundred (and counting) in fact- Curious Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
Libel law censorship…
Yesterday, several British political blogs were pulled down, including Bloggerheads, that of the former ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray, Bob Piper and Boris Johnson, when their web host gave in to threatening letters from lawyers acting for the U…
fasthosts.
Let’s get this clear – Schillings – (lawyers but who basically run an extortion racket for pospstars and Z list celebs) cite an article posted in 2005 and re-posted at the time, and still available here
http://tinyurl.com/2ts9n3
The prospect of Mr U appearing in a court to explain his fascinating past is slightly less likely than Arsenal ( a struggling 3rd rate London football team) winning the Premiership, or the FA Cup… or England winning the World Cup.
The best response to anyone receiving any communication from Schillings in this matter is the celebrated one used by Private Eye threatened by a lawyer acting (I think) for someone called Aardvaark.
It consisted of a well known 2 word phrase or saying about sex and travel.
The prospect of Mr U appearing in a court to explain his fascinating past is slightly less likely than Arsenal ( a struggling 3rd rate London football team) winning the Premiership, or the FA Cup… or England winning the World Cup.
Don’t respond to this pathetic barb Gooners. We don’t want to get sidetracked (a Gooner)
[...] done! This is the latest list of bloggers talking about their client Mr Usmanov: Curious Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
I have covered it on my blog:
http://cynlib.blogspot.com/2007/09/perhaps-he-is-confused-as-to-which.html
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
As I say, very originally in my post, we’ll hang separately if we don’t hang together
http://englandsfreedome.blogspot.com/2007/09/who-fucking-hell-are-you.html
I’ve blogged it at
http://localfocus.blogspot.com/2007/09/freedom-of-speech-at-risk-from-big.html
[...] list so far. As with Justin, please add to comments if you want to be included: Curious Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
[...] who find it intolerable that an assault on the right to speak freely is so easy. Curious Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
British bloggers sticking together – where there’s a will, there’s a way!
http://glamorganshire.blogspot.com/2007/09/tycoon-pulling-plug-on-liberty-whatever.html
[...] be done to lessen the harm that can be done by billionaires wielding libel lawyers? Sunny Hundal suggests locating one’s website in the USA, where libel laws are more sensible: British libel laws [...]
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Earthquake Cove, [...]
[...] Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]
Remodelled as the art lover Alisher Creosotemanov.
[...] and repeated here: Curious Hamster, Pickled Politics, Harry’s Place, Tim Worstall, Dizzy, Iain Dale, Ten Percent, Blairwatch, Davide Simonetti, [...]