Libel for Trouble

Australia's top court has decided that country's libel laws should span the globe.

As a result Dow Jones must stand trial in Australia over a piece Barron's did on a Melbourne mining executive. The exec says he was defamed, and it is much easier to bring such a case outside the U.S.

Comments

[Madog]

Perhaps the US should have it's laws span the globe as well. Then our courts can strike down French bans on owning or selling Nazi memorabilia on free speech grounds, etc.

[Brad S]

The notion that any nation (or agglomeration of nations, such as the U.N.) has the arrogance to presume that its laws somehow span the globe is so laughable I won't even comment further on it.

[Scott Wickstein]

I'd like to apologize for my country's High Court, which shall be whipt and sent to bed without any supper.