US business information group Dow Jones has lodged an appeal in the Australian courts against a ruling by the Victoria Supreme Court that a defamation lawsuit filed against it should proceed in Australia.
The lawsuit, filed by Australian entrepreneur Joseph Gutnick, concerns an allegedly defamatory article published by Dow Jones on its own web site. The Victoria Supreme Court ruled last month that publication of an article occurs where it is read, not where it is produced. Therefore, because the article could be viewed in Australia, Australian courts had jurisdiction over it.

The decision effectively confirmed that internet publishers should comply with the strictest laws of every country in which an article can be viewed to avoid the risk of a lawsuit. Dow Jones believes this is wrong and has appealed the ruling, according to a report by news agency Associated Press.

Steven Goldstein, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Dow Jones told Associated Press:

“We filed an appeal on Tuesday on a case that could have a major impact in the way media companies operate throughout the world…We do not believe that Australia is an appropriate venue for a case involving a story that was published in New York”.

In the original ruling, Dow Jones had argued that because the article was written in the US, and intended for consumption in that country, the defamation lawsuit should have been held there.

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