Draconian English Libel Laws used by GE to stifle criticism

[FLAprogressive]

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article6962816.ece

[BlueCollar]

1. anyone want to hazard a guess

at how much money GE poured into killing meaningful HCR?

[madrchsod]

3. according to medicare ge `s machines cut costs

for some reason my insurance company would`t pay for an mri unless i had an x-ray. the mri showed exactly where my shoulder muscles were torn. the doctor punched 3 holes and i was out of the hospital that afternoon.

[enlightenment]

2. There is some serious discussion going on about reforming

these outdated laws for just that reason (among other reasons). A report penned by English PEN and the Index on Censorship last month identified ten areas of concern and offered recommendations to the Minstry of Justice. They are also sponsoring a petition to encourage the government to revisit the laws in light of the increasing number of foreign entities who use the loopholes in the law to bring suit in the UK courts.

Here are the recommendations (from the BBC article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8351064.stm)

Capping libel damages at £10,000 and making an apology the chief remedy

Shifting the burden of proof so claimants have to demonstrate damage

Preventing cases from being heard in London unless 10% of copies of the offending publication are circulated in England

Stopping large and medium-sized companies from being able to launch libel actions unless they can prove malicious falsehood

Making some internet comments exempt as part of efforts to reflect the arrival of the world wide web

Establishing a libel tribunal, along the lines of employment tribunals, as an alternative to expensive full court trials

Reducing the prohibitive cost of defending libel actions by capping base costs and making success fees non-recoverable

Strengthening the public interest defence and expanding the definition of fair comment

The petition is here, if you're interested: http://www.libelreform.org/