洛杉矶时报:法院裁决保护互联网使用者和提供者


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送交者: Yush 于 2006-11-26, 01:32:03:

Court ruling protects internet users and providers
By Maura Dolan, Times Staff Writer
12:05 PM PST, November 20, 2006
法院裁决保护互联网使用者和提供者
洛杉矶时报
特约撰稿人 Maura Dolan
2006年11月20日

Internet users and providers cannot be held liable for posting libelous material written by someone else, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously today.
加利福尼亚高级法院今天无异议裁决:互联网使用者和提供者对于发表他人所写的诽谤材料不必承担责任。

"The prospect of blanket immunity for those who intentionally redistribute defamatory statements on the Internet has disturbing implications," Justice Carol Corrigan wrote for the court.
But the immunity "serves to protect online freedom of expression and to encourage self-regulation."
法官Carol Corrigan在法院裁决中写道:“对那些在互联网上故意[??redistribute 重新发布/二次发布(本案为rosenthal将另一被告发给她的e-mail发表在新闻组中)??]诽谤言论的人的毫无例外的豁免,[??the prospect ... has disturbing implications 可能具有令人烦扰的隐忧/可能会导致令人烦扰的后果??],”但是,该豁免“有助于保护网上言论自由、鼓励自我约束。”

The ruling overturns a Court of Appeal decision and throws out a lawsuit by two doctors who claimed a San Diego woman defamed them by posting an article written by someone else on the websites of two news groups. The state high court said the Court of Appeal misinterpreted a federal law and diverged from rulings around the country.
该裁决推翻了地区法院的判决,[??结束throws out??]了两位医生提起的诉讼。两位医生宣称,一位圣地亚哥妇女在两个新闻组的网站上发表了另外一个人所写的一篇文章,诽谤了他们。州高级法院说,地区法院曲解了一条联邦法律、背离了全美国各地的裁决。

Stephen J. Barrett, a retired psychiatrist from Allentown, Pa., who runs "Quack watch" and a Canadian doctor, Terry Polevoy, sued several individuals, including San Diego resident Ilena Rosenthal, for defamation after the two camps clashed on the efficacy of alternative medicine.
运作“警惕庸医”("Quackwatch")的宾州艾伦顿退休精神病医生Stephen J. Barrett,以及加拿大医生Terry Polevoy,控告包括圣地亚哥居民Ilena Rosenthal在内的几个人在“警惕庸医”抨击替代医疗功效的两次活动后的诽谤行为[??two camps是quackwatch举行的,英文原文也不清楚,故多译了“警惕庸医”??]。

"Quackwatch" is a 32-year-old nonprofit organization to "combat health -related frauds, myths, fads and fallacies." It focuses on distributing information "that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere." Its website was launched in 1996.
“警惕庸医”是有32年之久的“打击与健康有关的欺诈、虚构、狂热和谬误”的非赢利组织,它致力于发布“他处难得”的信息,其网站于1996年开办。

Rosenthal runs an Internet support group for women who have had problems with breast implants. In postings on Internet news groups, Rosenthal called Barrett and Polevoy "quacks," and that Barrett was "arrogant" and a "bully" who tried to "extort" her.

Rosenthal开办针对乳房植入有问题的妇女的互联网支持组。在互联网新闻组的张贴中,Rosenthal称Barrett和Polevoy为“庸医”,并且称Barrett“傲慢”、是个试图“敲诈”她的“恶棍”。

She also posted a message to a news group that said, "Quackwatch appears to be a power-hungry, misguided bunch of pseudoscientific socialistic bigots," among other things.
她还在互联网新闻组发表了一则消息,除提到其他事情外,该消息说:“‘警惕庸医’看来是一帮子渴望权力、误入歧途的伪科学的社会主义顽固分子。”

In July 2001, Alameda County Superior Court Judge James A. Richman dismissed the libel and defamation claims against Rosenthal in part because the doctors were public figures and with only limited protection under libel laws.
2001年7月,Alameda县高等法院法官Court Judge James A. Richman驳回了两医生针对Rosenthal而提出的诽谤、损害名誉主张,部分原因是,医生是公众人物,仅受到诽谤法的有限保护。

The judge also found that Rosenthal was not liable for the comments of others that she posted on news groups. He found that Rosenthal, "is not the publisher or speaker" of statements made by a third person, and thus "she cannot be civilly liable for posting it on the Internet."
这位法官还认为,Rosenthal不对她在新闻组发表的他人的评论承担责任。他认为:对于第三者所作的言论,Rosenthal“不是出版者和发言者”,因而“她不能对在互联网上发表该言论民事上承担责任。”

Richman based the decision on the federal Communications Decency Act, which provides immunity to Internet service providers and users.
Richman所作的判决基于联邦《通信行为准则法案》,该法案规定了针对互联网服务的提供者和使用者的法律诉讼豁免权。

maura.dolan@latimes.com
Times staff writer Meg James contributed to this story.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-ex-internet112006,0,2867393.story




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