A Year Ago: Demon Internet vs Laurence Godfrey case settled

Jane Wakefield ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 29 Mar 2001 07:02 BST

Remember Demon Internet's battle with Lawrence Godfrey? Tomorrow is judgement day

The long-running Demon Internet versus Lawrence Godfrey case will finally be settled in the High Court Thursday, ZDNet has learned.

The case, in which UK scientist Laurence Godfrey sued the ISP for failing to remove allegedly defamatory messages from a newsgroup hosted by Demon, has been bitterly fought by both defence and prosecution.

Demon has always vowed to fight the case, claiming it threatened "the entire ethos of freedom of speech on the Internet".

The ISP community was left reeling following a landmark ruling from Mr Justice Moreland who threw out Demon's defence of "innocent distribution". Demon failed to appeal the decision.

An open statement between the parties will be read in court Thursday morning. According to a court official, this means the case is settled, although Robin Bynoe, a lawyer with City firm Charles Russell, warned it is not over until the fat lady sings. "There could still be some surprises," he said.

Demon Internet refused to comment on the case.

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