British court okays serving injunction over Twitter
Last Updated: Thursday, October 1, 2009 | 6:13 PM ET
CBC News
Britain's High Court has approved the serving of a court order through social-networking tool Twitter.
Donal Blaney, a right-wing political blogger, asked the court to allow an injunction to be served against an anonymous Twitter user posing as him. The order, which says Blaney's copyright is being breached, demands that the anonymous user reveal him or herself and stop the impersonation.
Blaney told the BBC that the impersonator's posts were "mildly objectionable." He decided to ask the British courts to intervene rather than going through the lengthy process of getting Twitter, which is based in California, to deal with the issue.
He also said a recent case in Australia, where Facebook was used to serve a court order, served as his inspiration.
Blaney cheered the court's decision on his blog.
"Today is a great day for the overwhelming majority of well-meaning, decent people who use the internet and a bad day for bullies," he wrote. "It is, as I have said in the media, the day the scales of justice were tipped back in favour of innocent victims."
According to United Kingdom law, an injunction can be delivered through electronic means, including fax or email.
Blaney is a lawyer who runs a blog called Blaney's Blarney.
