Existing law says that companies not directly responsible for a message can escape liability for it but only if they take it down ‘expeditiously’ when informed of it. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Lester has proposed a Libel Bill which would set that period at 14 days, or shorter if an application to a court to shorten the period in a particular case is made.
“This means that ISPs, blogging platform providers and others who have an indirect role in publishing content now know how long they have to act on a complaint,” said David Woods, a litigation expert at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind OUT-LAW.COM. “The 14 day period is a surprisingly long one, considering how serious libel actions can be.”
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