Could I get sued for creating a consumer watchdog website ? - GoFuckYourself.com

Paul · 12-10-2005, 08:32 AM

I was wondering if anyone here could give me any insight into this ? basically I would like to create a website to make customers aware of bad companies. The website would have the ability for surfers to tell their stories about their bad experiences.

My concern, could the website be sued for slander ?

Any UK people know if http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog have ever been sued ?

Theo · 12-10-2005, 08:42 AM

in theory you can be sued
in practise i doubt

Paul · 12-10-2005, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soul_Rebel

in theory you can be sued
in practise i doubt

You see this is my concern

I was thinking that if each 'publisher' of information had their own account with the website then the publisher of the information would be responsible for the info they publish.

Similar to forums, i.e gfy.com can't be responsible for the information that its users post on its forum, or can it ?

Anyway I thought this might be a way around the problem, I need someone to confirm this though because I just don't know

SmokeyTheBear · 12-10-2005, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coatsy

You see this is my concern

I was thinking that if each 'publisher' of information had their own account with the website then the publisher of the information would be responsible for the info they publish.

Similar to forums, i.e gfy.com can't be responsible for the information that its users post on its forum, or can it ?

Anyway I thought this might be a way around the problem, I need someone to confirm this though because I just don't know

anyone can get sued for anything.. winning is not as easy...

Having a forum does not limit your liability. Do you think lensman would be a-ok if everyone posted cp or if everyone plotted to kill the prez, just because he didnt post it ? i think not..

SmokeyTheBear · 12-10-2005, 10:05 AM

oh and slander is spoken , libel is written...

Rob · 12-10-2005, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coatsy

I was wondering if anyone here could give me any insight into this ? basically I would like to create a website to make customers aware of bad companies. The website would have the ability for surfers to tell their stories about their bad experiences.

My concern, could the website be sued for slander ?

Any UK people know if http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog have ever been sued ?

As long as you don't make shit up then I don't see how they could have grounds to sue you. Movie companies don't sue critics for giving bad reviews. Consumer Reports has been around for ages and I'm pretty sure they haven't been sued.

You are entitled to your opinion and I'm sure that if you share it or allow others to share their opinion then there is no fear of being sued. I think it's a good idea and go for it.

Doctor Dre · 12-10-2005, 10:22 AM

This kind of website have been arround for a while... I've never seen somebody get sued, however, Megatron's scam.com (guerilla) got DDOS badly by russiasn after he exposed the russian wife thing (wifeys going to us/canada to marry a man, then leave him with no credit, and just come back to her russian pimp like 2 years later)

Paul · 12-10-2005, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokeyTheBear

oh and slander is spoken , libel is written...

Thanks for explaining that

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokeyTheBear

anyone can get sued for anything.. winning is not as easy...

Having a forum does not limit your liability. Do you think lensman would be a-ok if everyone posted cp or if everyone plotted to kill the prez, just because he didnt post it ? i think not..

Thats certainly some food for thought

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob

As long as you don't make shit up then I don't see how they could have grounds to sue you. Movie companies don't sue critics for giving bad reviews. Consumer Reports has been around for ages and I'm pretty sure they haven't been sued.

You are entitled to your opinion and I'm sure that if you share it or allow others to share their opinion then there is no fear of being sued. I think it's a good idea and go for it.

Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doctor Dre

This kind of website have been arround for a while... I've never seen somebody get sued, however, Megatron's scam.com (guerilla) got DDOS badly by russiasn after he exposed the russian wife thing (wifeys going to us/canada to marry a man, then leave him with no credit, and just come back to her russian pimp like 2 years later)

Thats a quality domain name

I guess I'll do more research myself and see if creating a website like this is worth the risk

Mr Dickovitch · 12-10-2005, 11:50 AM

What if you had a very profitable legitimate company, then some dickhead posts false information about your company on a website? What if your company was making so much money that a $100,000 lawsuit wasn't a big deal?
If you can make sure the things posted are true then it should be OK, but if you are going to post lies about companies then you'll probably get sued eventually and that'll be what you deserve.

Paul · 12-10-2005, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Dickovitch

What if you had a very profitable legitimate company, then some dickhead posts false information about your company on a website? What if your company was making so much money that a $100,000 lawsuit wasn't a big deal?
If you can make sure the things posted are true then it should be OK, but if you are going to post lies about companies then you'll probably get sued eventually and that'll be what you deserve.

Well that is one of the problems, how can I prove that what people post is the truth?

I've thought about the point you have made, unfortunately with the internet its very difficult to prove/disprove if someone is legit or making up false information.

I could certainly see how a company would be most upset if people where making up false accusations about their company and wanted to sue

SmokeyTheBear · 12-10-2005, 12:40 PM

might wanna check out www.ripoffreport.com and see how they go about it

Paul · 12-11-2005, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokeyTheBear

might wanna check out www.ripoffreport.com and see how they go about it

Thanks

EroticySteve · 12-11-2005, 09:30 AM

It depends on how it's moderated too. I would suggest reviewing posts for spam as well as gross inaccuracies. I think if you're making a concerted effort to manage the quality of your information you should be able to limit your liability.

If a company contacts you, it would be advisable to listen to their concerns and delete posts that are baseless and perhaps inflammatory.

Marshal · 12-11-2005, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob

As long as you don't make shit up then I don't see how they could have grounds to sue you. Movie companies don't sue critics for giving bad reviews. Consumer Reports has been around for ages and I'm pretty sure they haven't been sued.

You are entitled to your opinion and I'm sure that if you share it or allow others to share their opinion then there is no fear of being sued. I think it's a good idea and go for it.

i totally agree!

12-10-2005, 08:32 AM	#1
Paul Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 2,637	Could I get sued for creating a consumer watchdog website ? I was wondering if anyone here could give me any insight into this ? basically I would like to create a website to make customers aware of bad companies. The website would have the ability for surfers to tell their stories about their bad experiences. My concern, could the website be sued for slander ? Any UK people know if http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog have ever been sued ?

12-10-2005, 10:05 AM	#5
SmokeyTheBear ►SouthOfHeaven Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: PlanetEarth MyBoardRank: GerbilMaster My-Penis-Size: extralarge MyWeapon: Computer Posts: 28,609	oh and slander is spoken , libel is written... __________________ hatisblack at yahoo.com

12-10-2005, 12:40 PM	#11
SmokeyTheBear ►SouthOfHeaven Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: PlanetEarth MyBoardRank: GerbilMaster My-Penis-Size: extralarge MyWeapon: Computer Posts: 28,609	might wanna check out www.ripoffreport.com and see how they go about it __________________ hatisblack at yahoo.com

12-11-2005, 09:30 AM	#13
EroticySteve Confirmed User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Sunshine State Posts: 4,365	It depends on how it's moderated too. I would suggest reviewing posts for spam as well as gross inaccuracies. I think if you're making a concerted effort to manage the quality of your information you should be able to limit your liability. If a company contacts you, it would be advisable to listen to their concerns and delete posts that are baseless and perhaps inflammatory. __________________ You deserve to make more money. I'll help you do that. Our affiliates earn up to $3/email or $107/sale email steve <at> eroticy.com - icq 290153464

12-10-2005, 08:42 AM	#2
Theo HAL 9000 Industry Role: Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 34,515	in theory you can be sued in practise i doubt

12-10-2005, 11:50 AM	#9
Mr Dickovitch Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 1,070	What if you had a very profitable legitimate company, then some dickhead posts false information about your company on a website? What if your company was making so much money that a $100,000 lawsuit wasn't a big deal? If you can make sure the things posted are true then it should be OK, but if you are going to post lies about companies then you'll probably get sued eventually and that'll be what you deserve.