eFestivals has just received a solicitor's letter, regarding posts made here about a particular individual which they claim to be libellous.

Without going into who the posts were about or what they said and whether they were indeed actually libellous, eFestivals feels that it's in poster's interests to be aware of the following...

> Liability in this instance falls not only on you as the website host,
> but also on those persons making such false statements. If these
> statements are not immediately removed, and the members of your website
> who made such statements are not notified that personal comments such as
> these are unacceptable, we will not hesitate to seek a court action for
> the release of the identities of those individuals, so that action may
> be taken against them also.

The offending posts have been removed from these forums, so that should be the end of the matter (they have indicated that if the posts are removed then it will be the end of the matter). However, the complainee has a right in law to pursue this matter if they so wish, and they're within their rights to take action against any individuals making libellous posters.

Do *NOT* make the mistake of believing that because this is the internet that posts made by you cannot be traced back to you - they very definitely can be. Ultimately in law every individual is responsible for any posts that they make, and if any complainee wishes to take legal action against any individual they are within their rights to do so.

Unfortunately for the individuals concerned it looks very much like this issue is going to proceed all the way to court.

eFestivals will do everything in its power to deflect any responsibility from itself, as none of the offensive postings had anything do to with anyone but the individuals who posted those offensive things.

This is not an issue that is open for discussion on these forums, and anyone starting any discussion on this issue will find themselves banned. This is simply because any discussion is likely to further inflame the situation.

I'm pleased to say that this matter has now been settled, at the cost to eFestivals of a charity donation of £100. But it's a shame that eFestivals has had to pay out £100 for something that's essentially nothing to do eFestivals but is to do with people not thinking about what they're posting and how what they're posting can be taken by others.

It would be nice if the people responsible for this episode (they know who they are) dipped in their pockets themselves to cover or help cover this cost - you can make a payment via PayPal by going here and using the 'donate' option on that page to show your regret over your actions.