Let The Mongering Begin

John Maltbie has a good summary of Batzel v. Smith (PDF), a new 9th Circuit decision limiting the libel liability and protecting the online speech rights of Web site managers. I'm still writing a brief and haven't had the chance to do more than skim the opinion, but Judge Gould's dissenting fears that the ruling "licenses professional rumor-mongers and gossip-hounds to spread false and hurtful information with impunity" are being widely reported. (Shouldn't that be "mongerers," by the way?)

I definitely will want to consider how this decision might bear on some of our panel's responses to Phil Wolff's questions, still in process. For now, more from:

• Reuters: "Court Limits Defamation Scope in Internet Case"


• Out-Law.com: "Defamation victory for web site and listserver operators"


• Ars Tecnica: "Starting vicious rumors over listservs ruled OK"


• c | net News.com (Declan McCullagh): "Libel ruling favors site operators"


• MSNBC: "Court limits scope on Net defamation"

IB

Mindsay, from Adam Ostrow and Brian Klug, lets you blog through AIM or Yahoo Messenger.

What Does A Quarter Million Get You These Days?

Enough to raise a child from birth to age 17 is one possible answer. A filter-free library is another. In the wake of yesterday's CIPA decision (PDF), Susan Hildreth (photo), city librarian for the city and county of San Francisco, has a quarter million fewer ways to take care of business: "San Francisco is ready to lose $250,000 to retain unfettered access." (The Sacramento Bee, "Libraries learn: No filters, no funds")

Ms. Hildreth also has been vocal about the Freedom to Read as threatened by the USA PATRIOT Act—the same that recently prompted Geoffrey Nunberg to remind us that "no one is more adept at [the acronym] game than legislators." ("Letter Perfect")

Syn–theses

This might just get me to finally pick an aggregator, any aggregator: here's the syndication channel for new law related books available at Amazon, courtesy of Chris Pirillo—who has created 160+ such channels! Surely one or two will suit your interests?

What's up with things that go bump in the RSS night these days? (See Doc, on TLAs.) As Shelley points out, if you blinked you might have missed it. Look for Echo, coming to a blog platform near you. (Some further reading, courtesy of Technorati.)

Hospital Dirt

Here's a neat resource compiling patient survey information about the quality of care in California hospitals: Calhospitals.org, a project of the California Health Care Foundation. "Whether you are having surgery or delivering a baby, choosing a hospital is one of the most important decisions you can make." (Interesting to learn my local bastian gets only an average rating, despite the rave reviews it seems to receive anecdotally.)