Where defamatory material is published on the internet and is extremely difficult or impossible to remove, the award of damages must account for the permanence of the publications and their ongoing effect on the plaintiff's reputation into the future. A global sum under s 39 of the Defamation Act 2005 (Qld) must be assessed separately for each plaintiff against each defendant, recognising their differing roles and participation. Permanent injunctions may be granted where defendants persist in publishing defamatory material after service of proceedings, demonstrating an intention to continue.
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