Read this article regarding online defamation and its relation to U.S. law, provided by the South African law firm of Sonnenberg Hoffman & Galombik: http://www.legalnet.co.za/cyberlaw/cybertext/chapter12.htm

Read the information on Electronic Frontier Foundation's "Bloggers' FAQ - Online Defamation Law" page: http://www.eff.org/issues/bloggers/legal/liability/defamation

Lastly, read this summary of significant cases regarding online defamation provided by the law firm of Phillips Nizer: http://www.internetlibrary.com/topics/online_defamation.cfm

1. What features distinguish the Internet from other publishing mediums that have led to the re-examination of the existing rules of defamation?
2. Whether a party is characterized as a publisher is largely dependent on what?
3. In the Cubby case, in what way did the court compare an Internet service provider to a library, book store, or news stand?
4. In the Prodigy case, the court concluded that Prodigy was a publisher while in the Cubby case, CompuServe was not considered a publisher. The distinction between these two ISPs was made in the Prodigy case based on what two grounds?
5. In the Zeran case, America Online, Inc. was protected from liability for defamation as a result of what congressional act?
6. What four elements must be proven to establish defamation?
7. Explain the different standards for defamation when reporting on a public figure versus a private figure. How is a public figure defined?
8. What are some examples of libelous and nonlibelous statements? What is the general distinction that determines whether a statement libelous or not?
9. What are some examples given for "libel per se"?
10. Summarize the court's rulings in the three cases regarding online defamation