[Foundation-l] Blackout at Italian Wikipedia

[Thomas Morton]

On 4 October 2011 14:40, Lodewijk <lodewijk at effeietsanders.org> wrote:

> I think it is fairly easy to make such statements when you live abroad, and
> are not directly influenced by its outcomes.


I live in the UK; where our defamation laws definitely make it very risky to
edit Wikipedia (context; in the UK suing for defamation is very easy - even
for things published abroad, even if the defamed person lives abroad, etc.).
And during the recent "super-injunctions" debacle there was a very similar
scare situation.

I made the same arguments then :)

Having pinged this around a few people; mixing in our law knowledge with
some understanding of the Italian legal system I stand by my first response;
that there is nothing major to be worried about. The law seems quite clear
in indicting the website owner as the one responsible for applying the law.

Perhaps it does leave individual editors open to litigation; but, really, we
have always been wide open to litigation anyway.

I don't mean to sound entirely dismissive; certainly it's worth examining,
talking to the foundation about and perhaps developing new
approaches/responses. But shutting down the Wiki? That's a pretty major step
:S

And if, as is suggested in other emails, this is primarily intended as a
protest that is *highly concerning*!

Tom