Encyclopedia Dramatica (ED) is a satirical wiki that has been involved in several lawsuits over the years. These lawsuits have alleged that ED has engaged in libel, copyright infringement, and other illegal activities.
Libel Lawsuits
In 2016, a United Kingdom court determined an ED user must pay £10,000 in libel damages for making false statements about a former Labour councillor. The court found that the user had made defamatory statements about the councillor that were not true and that had caused the councillor significant reputational harm.
Copyright Infringement Lawsuits
In 2017, a suit was launched against the website seeking US$750,000 for alleged copyright infringement. The “life-threatening” suit was by millionaire Jonathan Monsarrat. Monsarrat’s suit was dismissed in December 2017, with the judge ruling that the three-year statute of limitations for copyright infringement had expired before the lawsuit was filed.
In 2018, ED was sued by a former employee for copyright infringement. The employee alleged that ED had used his copyrighted work without his permission. The lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Other Legal Issues
In addition to libel and copyright infringement lawsuits, ED has also been involved in other legal disputes. For example, in 2010, the website was removed from the search engine results of Google Australia after a lawyer filed a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission saying its content was racist. The publicity surrounding this served to raise the profile of the site.
Conclusion
ED has a long history of legal troubles. The website has been sued for libel, copyright infringement, and other illegal activities. These lawsuits have had a significant impact on the website, both in terms of its finances and its reputation.
