Legal issue: blog-related
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Anonymous
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I am a blogger. Not dooce level or anything but I do make some money from it and am very proud of it. I have a Google Alert set up to let me know when anyone writes about my blog. Today, I got an alert that really upset me.
Another blogger wrote an entry about a weird email she got from an anonymous poster accusing a third blogger of being married to a rapist and pedophile, and I guess, supporting him in his crimes. The blogger who wrote about this changed the name of the third blogger to protect her identity...but she changed the name to the name of MY blog. So now, when you Google my blog, one of the results is a link to this email, which reads, "Sewsie Hamilton, of Sewsie Hamilton's Knitting Blog is married to a rapist and pedophile." I don't think it was done intentionally, as I have no reason to think this blogger knows about my blog, but it's a pretty distinctive name and most other references on the internet do link back to my site. I plan to contact the author and let her know that I want her to remove the name of my blog from her entry and to make a comment saying that it is in no way affiliated with my blog. I am wondering if this is within my rights, though, to make this request? And if the original blogger refuses, how should I proceed from there? Does anybody have any advice for how to handle this? TIA. |
Anonymous
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1. Write her. Sounds like you think she did this unintentionally. It's within your rights to make any request you like--she can only say no!
2. If she says no--and ymmv--but I would look at legal advice at that point. It's pretty serious defamation; I don't know what the legal options are, but I'd want some big guns, fast. |
jsteele
Site Admin Online
Site Admin Online
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I can't answer from a legal perspective, but since I am the recipient of many emails complaining about content on this site I do have some advice. Avoid writing a heavy-handed email. Just be very casual in a "I know you didn't mean for this to happen and it's really coincidental that it did" sort of way. I wouldn't bother asking for a disclaimer, but just for her to change the name. Even if you have a legal recourse, it will be time consuming and expensive to pursue it. So, don't even hint about it. Do everything you can to avoid the appearance of bullying her. I think you will have a lot more luck getting her to help because she is sorry to have caused you a problem then you will getting her to help because you have forced her to.
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Anonymous
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Thanks guys. Jeff, I took your advice and wrote a very short and informal email asking her to please remove my name. I also blogged about it at my blog, reiterating simply that it isn't true, in case any of my readers have stumbled across this entry and have gotten the wrong idea. I was very careful to emphasize that I think this is intentional (as the name of my blog could technically be used as something like Jane Doe [though is far more distinctive than that]).
I really appreciate it. |
Anonymous
| Yikes, that should read *unintentional |