''Keith-Smith v Williams'' is a 2006 English

libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

case that confirmed that existing

laws applied to internet discussion. It was important because it was seen as the first UK internet libel case that represented two individuals rather than one party being an

Internet Service Provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides a myriad of services related to accessing, using, managing, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, no ...

, and was the first British case involving a successful prosecution of an individual poster within a chat room. The ''

Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...

'' claimed that this contradicted a common assumption among bloggers that it was the publisher and not the writer who was responsible for any libel claims that they may generate. Mark Stephens, the head of media law at Stephens Finer Innocent, characterised the case as "a dark day for freedom of speech with broad implications", which was denied by the plaintiff Michael Keith Smith. The case involved unemployed ex-teacher Tracy Williams falsely accusing a former UKIP candidate, Michael Keith Smith, of being a sexual offender and racist bigot. Williams had posted as Gosforth. The court ordered her to pay £10,000 plus costs. Although the accusations were made in a

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discussion group with about 100 members, damages were awarded as the remarks were available throughout the world.Smith v Williams (UK, 2006)
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References

{{reflist, 2 English tort case law English defamation case law High Court of Justice cases Internet censorship in the United Kingdom 2006 in United Kingdom case law Yahoo! litigation 2006 in England