Ethics Newsline®

DETROIT
A Web site posting confidential Ford Motor Co. information may continue to do so, but must reveal the sources of the information, U.S. District Court judge Nancy Edmunds ruled last week.

Edmunds’ decision marked a victory for site owner Robert Lane, who insisted that the First Amendment protected his right to publish Ford information on his Web site, BlueOvalNews.com.

The judge ruled that while company secrets are indeed protected by U.S. and Michigan law, the right to protect secrets is outweighed by the right to free speech, ZDNet reported.

This case represented a “clash between our commitment to the freedom of speech and the press, and our dedication to the protection of commercial innovation and intellectual property,” Edmunds wrote in her ruling. “In this case, the battle is won by the First Amendment.”

Ford spokeswoman Terry Bresnihan said that the automaker was “generally pleased” with the ruling, which included several partial victories for Ford.

Under terms of the ruling, Lane must reveal his sources, and must stop posting information that he knows is copyrighted by Ford or obtained improperly, according to the Reuters news agency.