How To Report Abuse To A Hosting Provider?

[owatagal]

I have a client (their site is hosted on my reseller account here at TCH) who is being defamed on a public forum. The issue is serious and is harming their reputation, but they are attempting to resolve this amicably. They have already contacted the forum owner (the forum site, by the way, is NOT hosted by TCH); the forum owner has ignored my clients.

 

My instinct says to move the abuse complaint up to the hosting provider, and I was wondering if anyone here (since you've been so helpful in the past) has experience with this? Is libel/defamation something a hosting provider will take seriously (well... I know that will depend on the particular provider, but in general)? If it matters, the one who started the defamation admits in her original post that her "evidence" is all hearsay; everyone else's defamation is based on HER comments. No one on the forum is even pretending to have facts; they are just defaming my client's business.

 

And how does my client go about making the abuse report to the hosting provider--I have the provider's abuse email address, but what information would my client need to include when making the report?

 

I appreciate any help you can give me; I know how to deal with copyright infringements, but I've never had to deal with reporting defamation before.

[Deverill]

Just briefly outline the problem (they won't read a novel about it) and give them URL's to the particular problem thread and your client's site - make it easy for them to see what's happening... don't make them work for it. Then keep your fingers crossed.

 

In a case of defamation I'd consider having your client hire a lawyer to send a cease and desist letter - it's probably $25-$50 to do it. It will almost always stop them dead in their tracks and sets it up for a court action later if necessary.

[owatagal]

Thanks, Deverill--I hadn't thought of the cease and desist. I'll pass that idea along to my clients.