Henry Huang <hwh6k@fulton.seas.virginia.edu> at INTERNET-USA wrote:
On Mar 7, 22:29, Timothy C. May wrote:
At 2:38 AM 3/8/96, Bill Frantz wrote:
At 6:59 PM 3/7/96 -0800, Timothy C. May wrote:
If SurfWatch can be sued for a "bad review," then Siskel and Ebert had better find a new line of work.
As long as a reviewer corrects errors, as SurfWatch seems to be willing to do, I think they are relatively suit-proof. If they don't, well - anyone can be sued for anything. I'll let the lawyers comment on the possibility of success.
[snip]
Thanks for the clarification. However, this line of argument applies only to "third-party" ratings systems. Right now, Microsoft/RSAC/SurfWatch and SafeSurf/Cybersitter/etc. are setting up competing standards which would essentially force people to "self-rate" their own sites, or else be blocked out by browsers configured to reject unrated sites (a feature Microsoft plans to add to its Internet Explorer).
The question I have is if these systems were widely implemented, could an Web page author or provider of content be sued for "mislabeling" their page? If so, under what circumstances? Could the RSAC attach legal requirements to the use of their system, and open up such a loophole (similar to how Sun attaches conditions to the use of its "Java" logo)?
Seems to me that if the Web page author labels his page conservatively, i. e. "materials may be unsuitable for non-adults; may contain controversial material, may contain views different from your own, etc.". How can the author be liable for mislabeling? Martin G. Diehl