More Israeli Cases Request the Identities of Web Users
IBLS Contributor: Attorney Odia Kagan, Tel Aviv, Israel, odia@okaganlaw.com, writes:
The ink on the Court ruling in the Mor case, which sets guidelines for disclosing the identity of anonymous writers on the web, had not even dried yet, when two new lawsuits were filed requesting such disclosure.
On April 30, 2007, Attorney Jacob Sabo filed a motion requesting the District Court of Tel Aviv to order the disclosure of the identity of user Tzahi200, who posted libelous comments on Mr. Sabo. The comments were posted in a forum hosted by Ynet, Israel’s leading online daily newspaper, dealing with the municipality of Kiriyat Ono. Mr. Sabo is a member of the municipality’s planning committee and is running for the position of mayor. (OS 541/07 – Jacob Sabo Attorney v. Yediot Internet District Court of Tel Aviv).
The same day, Amos Avtalion, the owner of a firm conducting polygraph tests, filed a motion requesting the District Court of Tel Aviv to order Internet service providers Bezeq International and Golden Lines to disclose the identity of a web user, who allegedly committed click fraud by repeatedly clicking Mr. Avtalion’s advertisements. These actions allegedly resulted in the advertisements’ removal from the site and in monetary loss to Mr. Avtalion. (OS 547/07 – Amos Avtalion v. Bezeq International District Court of Tel Aviv).
Originally published on Ms. Kagan’s blog e-legal on May 1, 2007 at www.odiakagan.typepad.com
Ms. Kagan specializes in Internet and IT law. Her articles on these subjects are published regularly in professional publications of the American Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association as well as in national Israeli websites. Ms. Kagan authored the Israeli Chapter in the book “Cybercrime and Security” published worldwide by Oceana Publications, a division of Oxford University Press. A graduate of the Law Faculty of Tel Aviv University, Ms. Kagan is a member of the Israel and New York Bars, is qualified as a Solicitor in England & Wales and is also admitted as legal practitioner in New South Wales, Australia. The above is the author’s opinion and does not constitute or replace legal consultation.