Abstract
This chapter sets out to provide a very brief overview of the law of defamation as it exists in most western countries. The differences in defamation law, from one jurisdiction to another, can be vast, and there is no substitute for local knowledge and the advice of a local expert within the relevant jurisdiction.
There are similarities due to the historical roots of defamation law in many jurisdictions. Other countries, without any reliance upon a British common law tradition, still achieve somewhat similar concepts of defamation law due to the shared general desire to protect the position of a person who is wronged by false claims. Mere knowledge of the truth of a matter does not always protect the maker of a statement from defamation proceedings. The relevant defenses in each jurisdiction are of vital importance.
Medical practitioners need to be aware of both the general dangers of defamation law and particular issues with which they may be faced during the conduct of their practices.
Bruce Burke is an Australian solicitor who has practised continuously in the fields of media and defamation law for many years. He is a partner of the firm of Banki Haddock Fiora
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Melkonian H. Defamation, libel tourism and the speech act of 2010. Amherst: Cambria Press; 2011.
Further Reading
Collins M. The law of defamation and the internet. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2010.
Glasser Jr JC, editor. International libel and privacy handbook: a global reference for journalists, publishers, webmasters and lawyers. 2nd ed. New York: Bloomberg; 2009.
Kenyon AT. Defamation comparative law and practice. 1st ed. London: UCL Press; 2006.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Burke, B. (2013). Law of Defamation: Overview. In: Beran, R. (eds) Legal and Forensic Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32338-6_151
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32338-6_151
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-32337-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-32338-6
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences