Generally speaking, defamation is the
issuance of a false statement about another person, which causes
that person to suffer harm. Slander involves the making
of defamatory statements by a transitory (non-fixed)
representation, usually an oral (spoken) representation. Libel
involves the making of defamatory statements in a printed or
fixed medium, such as a magazine, newspaper or website. In
simple terms, slander is defamation by speaking, and libel is
defamation by means of writing. Libel is the common type of
defamation that we as a service provider must deal with.
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A person who publishes a defamatory statement
may be liable for doing so. However, "47 U.S.C. sec. 230" states
that online service providers are not publishers of content
posted on their users' websites. Section 230 gives ISPs the
discretion to allow customers to practice free speech or have
them remove content, whichever they prefer, in response to
claims by others that content is defamatory or libelous.
The Internet is a public media, therefore we believe that
serious defamation issues should be resolved by public
officials. Nipon Computer.com will not request that a customer
should remove or edit any website content until we receive a
copy of a court order declaring the statements defamatory. This
immunity does not extend to claims made under intellectual
property laws, please see our DMCA section for copyright
infringement cases.
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