BG> Trev crashmailed me a message informing me that this msg
BG> was both untrue and defamatory and that I am legally liable
BG> because the message originated from my system. On Josh's
BG> behalf I apologise to you for the comments made about you.
BG> Of course, don't expect an apology from him :(

BG> If you wish to take matters further and sue Josh for defamation,
BG> please leave me out of it. I was just the middle sucker. :( BTW,
BG> you will be very pleased to know that I have cut his access off
BG> from posting in FidoNet permanently. No message from him will
BG> originate from my system ever again because of this.

BL> I don't think this is funny, Bill. If we start
BL> threatening sysops with defamation, Fido falls apart.

BL> It's bullshit that the mailman is responsible for the contents of the
BL> mail, but this dickhead sysop you quote (oops is that defamatory?)
BL> obviously believes it and that gives enormous power to shits willing
BL> to wield the doubt. If I were a sysop, liable to have to defend the
BL> principle in court because the law is undefined, I would give the
BL> whole thing away before I got lumbered with lawyers... which is what
BL> Lavarch and his creepy Labor mates intend anyway.

DD> The requisite for retaining one's FidoNEt nodelisting is that one has
DD> read, understood, and prepared to abide by the holiest of holy, Policy 4.

Pity thats not actually defamation law Dave.

DD> Policy 4 says that a sysop is responsible
DD> for whatever a user issues forth into the net.

But certainly says nothing remotely like suggesting that you
can be excommunicated for one particular thing your user does.

DD> The "defamation" may not stand up under law,

Its got buckleys as far as the sysop of the BBS its posted from is
concerned. And THATs what Trev commented on, he didnt even mention Policy4.

DD> but it can certainly lead to loss of node number

Nope, not in that specific circumstance.

DD> (and if you don't have a node number, you may as well be dead,

And thats crap too.

DD> ask Bill).

Still crap.

--- PQWK202