I am going to be hosting a website that basically makes fun of people, will find pictures of people on the internet and just completely shit on them..Only words Could I be subject to any legal problems or am I protected under the 1st amendment? Regards
If you use a picture without permission, you can be sued for copyright infringement. Not everything you say is protected free speech, there are certain things you cannot say without putting yourself at risk for libel per se. I would think of another idea.
haha, what I had in mind is very similar to your blog besides pictures and such - I should be all set with completely shitting on people/groups/events? I mean, I would say some really messed up stuff...
It's all content sensitive. Depending upon what you say and who you say it about, you may or may not be protected under the free speech amendment. Obviously, there's some risk associated with what you're doing.
Defamation of character is actionable under the law. If you say something (slander) or write something (libel) that is untrue about someone that defames their character (ruins their reputation), then you can be held liable for that statement. I'll give you an example: You say that the dress that a big star wore to a premiere is the ugliest dress ever. That's not a problem, it's your opinion. You say that a big star had sex with 500 men and she didn't, you're going to have a BIG problem. Actually, probably even if she did, you're going to have a big problem. Here's the thing. Even if you kept withing the bounds of the law, you could be sued. Whether or not you'd win is another matter. But the expense of hiring an attorney and the hassle and expense of a trial (or the price of settlement) is HUGE. Do you really want to walk yourself into that on purpose? If so, I'd make sure you're not running as a sole proprietorship in order to protect your personal assets and that you've got the strongest liability shield you can manage... Just my $.02... Deena _________________________________________________________________ Any opinions are offered without knowledge of the specific law of your jurisdiction and with only the limited information provided in your post. No advice given here should be reasonably relied upon by you or any third party without consulting an attorney who is aware of all of the facts and law surrounding your situation. Any advice given here is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship in any way.
Well, I'm not sure what you mean by "what you'd "like" to happen to them." Legally, you might be ok, but I'd steer clear of it... You also need to make sure of the laws in each state about public personas, some states protect famous people's right to their identity.... I think it's just asking for trouble... Deena ____________________________________________________________________________ Any opinions are offered without knowledge of the specific law of your jurisdiction and with only the limited information provided in your post. No advice given here should be reasonably relied upon by you or any third party without consulting an attorney who is aware of all of the facts and law surrounding your situation. Any advice given here is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship in any way.
the thing is... unless your blog starts getting featured in NYTimes magainze....these things you dont need to fret about. just go out and do it. its your RIGHT to practice it. but use common sense....dont just badmouth everyone
Just keep in mind that there's a big difference between parody (which is protected) and defamation (which is not). If you're planning to go forward you should make sure that you're clear on the difference between the two... Deena _________________________________________________________________________ Any opinions are offered without knowledge of the specific law of your jurisdiction and with only the limited information provided in your post. No advice given here should be reasonably relied upon by you or any third party without consulting an attorney who is aware of all of the facts and law surrounding your situation. Any advice given here is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship in any way.