Automattic, the Californian company behind the world's most popular blogging site, Wordpress, has finally removed an anonymous site that was allegedly defamatory of an Irish exploration company, avoiding potential fines of up to €100,000 per day and possible legal action against its directors.
Justice John Hedigan warned the company on Friday it faced the "most serious consequences" if it did not comply with an order given by the High Court on Thursday to remove the material concerning Petroceltic International.
He gave Automattic and its Irish subsidiary until Monday to comply with the order, following complaints to the court on Friday from lawyers acting for Petroceltic, who sought the fines.
Automattic has several weeks to comply with a separate order to identify the blogger.
Allegations of fraud The allegedly defamatory material, which made serious allegations of fraud and mismanagement against Petroceltic – all strongly denied – was no longer available on Sunday on the Wordpress-powered blog, Exposure and Truth.
The site had been replaced with a note from Wordpress saying it had been "archived or suspended for a violation of our terms of service", although there was no mention of the court order.
The note also did not specify which specific term it violated, although Wordpress users must sign up to a commitment to indemnify Automattic from any claims and expenses it incurs as a result of the activities of those who use its software.
Automattic declined to comment on the court orders.
Dissident shareholder Petroceltic is preparing for a showdown next month with Worldview Capital, a dissident shareholder that owns 29 per cent and which has called for clarity over some of the claims that were made in the blog.
A shareholders meeting is scheduled to take place in Dublin next month.
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Automattic removes blog commenting on Petroceltic
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