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LATEST NEWS & EVENTS Defamation bill 'must go further'  Reforms to litigation and dispute resolution relating to libel need to go further than currently being proposed, a cross-part group of MPs and Peers has said. The Joint Select Committee on the draft defamation bill calls for jury trials to be scrapped in defamation cases in all but exceptional circumstances. It also wants "trivial cases" to be weeded out at an early stage by introducing a stricter test for determining whether a case should go to court. The committee further recommends tackling the problem of lawfare by making organisations demonstrate they have suffered "substantial financial harm" before they may launch proceedings against their critics. Libel law has failed to keep up with advances in modern communications, the report continues. It calls for a notice and take-down procedure for the internet, which would provide a "quick and easy remedy" for anyone defamed online as well as better protection to online publishers. Despite recommending a range of new measures designed to bring libel law up to date, some say it does not go far enough. The Libel Reform Campaign wants the bill to include a strong public interest defence to protect authors, bloggers, scientists, and academics. Posted by Georgina Price 
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