Irish High Court Has No Jurisdiction In Internet Defamation Claim

A recent Irish case, CSI Manufacturing Ltd v. Dun and Bradstreet¹ ruled on whether the Irish courts have jurisdiction to hear defamation proceedings where (i) the publisher of the allegedly defamatory material is not domiciled in Ireland; and (ii) the publication has been accessed only by parties outside of Ireland.

Background

The applicant is a producer of industrial labels and signage.  It is an Irish registered company and has its business premises in Ireland.  The respondent publishes online credit information and ratings, available on a subscription basis. It is a UK registered arm of a major multinational corporation.  Although domiciled within the EU, it is outside the jurisdiction of the Irish courts.