What you say and what you do have consequences. Is writing content posted to the digital domain any diferent?
Technology on Trial is back. Starting in September, always the last Friday of the month so the first 'on trial' session is September 30th when the trialed format of Technology, Coffee and Cake will be the agenda. Tech on Trial is a morning informal business discussion workshop focused around the pitfalls, warnings and impending doom facing modern business with its computerised utilities, social networking and even it's associated technologies.
Can you say what you want online? Should you be able to? is the topic of September's Technology on Trial. Our new legal partner for the next 6 events is RotherDowson.
For anyone unfamiliar with the Tech on Trial format it is as follows.
- A topic is selected (on this occasion libel and slander in the digital realm)
- A legal professional from the partner company (for the next 6 sessions this is RotheraDowson) provides links to 3 web articles, posts or pages illustrating cases in law with outcomes, articles demonstrating best practice, newstories and case studies who's outcome set precedent.
- Those links, often accompanied by a selection of resources are posted on this blog
- Anyone interested in attending then reads the articles, shares the post about the event with friends and books a ticket (ticket registration below)
- Everyone turns up having read the articles and forming an opinion
- The 'legal bod' (a Tech on Trial techical word!) briefly presents/introduces each article placing it in context of the topic
- We all moan and rage about technology (in contect of the topic!), drink beverages of choice and consume biscuits and cake!
- All go home!
Well there it is in a nutshell.
September's Technology on Trial dossier
Here are the links for the Digital Defamation on Trial for Friday 30th September 2011 at Nottingham's Galleries of Justice.
Be careful what you tweet - By Bill Thompson - BBC News - 23 July 2010
Plastic surgeon sues three women after they 'anonymously' criticised his work online - by Daniel Bates - The Daily Mail - 30 November 2010
Defamation Case: Clift vs Clarke from One Brick Court - 18 February 2011
NOTE from Daniel Harley, Technology on Trial's September 'legal bod'
"This final choice of article as it is more a "case comment" by Barristers Chambers so is a bit heavy going but it is quite good in that it details the relevant law and also raises the question as to whether some statements made online are "pub talk" and not to be taken seriously or actionable defamation."
Resources
Dealing with Defamation via Social Media by Daniel Harley - Business East Midlands Magazine - 3 May 2011
Human Right Act 1998 - section 10 - Freedom of Expression
Additional Links
Online defamation cases in England and Wales 'double' - BBC - 26 Aug 2011
Solicitors in Cardiff take on Facebook defamation cases - BBC Wales - 24 Oct 2010
How about a Tuttle Club in Nottingham? @pcmcreative was asked one day via Twitter by @jobshareguru. @lloyddavis, founder of Tuttle Club suggested @pcmcreative as a contact point to get something going. They met, They thought, They drank coffee... there are already many networking events on the city why create another? Well.. Tuttle is a morning event, its a meet up with media making and social web analysis at it's heart. From this precept Technology on Trial at Nottingham's Galleries of Justice was born.