Hi all,

I am considering starting a UK-based website that has a review component; that is, a section where users can review products and services. However a potential pitfall is that comments may be considered defamatory (ie getting a bad review). What is the legal position regarding this as far as submitted internet content is concerned? The content will be submitted by subscribers, but having done some research on this, the responsibility could still fall to my ebsite (as well as the submitter, ISP etc)

Where does the UK law stand on this? What are my rights and responsibilities?

Many thanks,

You are wise to consider the posibility of defamation claims. I am a California attorney, so I can't help you with UK legal requirements. In the US, reviews are generally not considered defamation unless there is a clear misstatement of fact. How exactly this is determined depends on the state that has jurisdiction over the lawsuit. Regardless, many courts are holding the site, ISP, etc., liable as "secondary publishers."

I did a quick search for potential UK sources. I can't tell you if these references are credible, but they might help.