Libel law and the internet in China

This project explores how China and the West have applied libel law to the Internet, including online forums, BBS, blogs, instant messagers and mobile texts, through analyzing the law, court cases and rulings. On the Chinese side, more than three hundred media libel cases and their court rulings will be examined. It investigates if and how the law has been applied differently to traditional media and new media as well as to societies in the West and in China. It discusses the origins of the reputation protection in the US and most Western countries and those in the Chinese tradition, and the libel standards for the public officials and private individuals in both China and the USA. More importantly it studies how law and court rulings have changed over time, and suggests socio-political reasons underlying.

For enquiries about this project, please contact Dr Yik Chan Chin (Yik-Chan.Chin@nottingham.ac.uk).