UK court throws out Google libel case

Google has won a significant court battle in the UK, as libel action brought by former Conservative councillor Payam Tamiz was rejected.

Google said it was not a publisher under English laws of defamation and therefore there were no grounds to bring the claim.

Tamiz launched the complaint, claiming defamatory statements had been made about him on the Blogger.com service run by Google.

The position is, according to Google Inc, rather as though it owned a wall on which various people had chosen to inscribe graffiti.

But Justice Eady sided with Google, meaning Tamiz will be left with some significant legal fees to pay. He has already been ordered to pay legal fees of 5,000 for Google in the next 28 days.

This was despite the judge admitting he could see why Tamiz had targeted Google, as those who posted the comments would be much harder to find.

For Google, it marks a significant victory in the UK. It may mean the site has virtual immunity from similar complaints in the future.

The judge said Google should not be viewed as a publisher or even as a body that authorises publication.

"One needs to be wary of analogies when considering modern technology, but it may perhaps be said that the position is, according to Google Inc, rather as though it owned a wall on which various people had chosen to inscribe graffiti," the judge said, according to the Daily Telegraph.

"It does not regard itself as being more responsible for the content of these graffiti than would the owner of such a wall."

As well as being positive for Google, some have hailed the decision as a win for freedom of speech. Internet companies may not be so quick to remove potentially libellous comments from their websites.