The use of defamation law to protect corporate reputation is controversial. Australia, Canada and England and Wales have been at the centre of this debate, as although their defamation laws share many common characteristics, they adopt distinct approaches to allowing companies to sue in defamation. Consequently, in all three jurisdictions defamation law remains a cause of action that is relied upon by companies to protect their reputations. The primary concern of this paper is the efficacy of these approaches,1 particularly in light of the reforms made to Australia's defamation laws, adopted in 2020, that further restrict the right of corporations to sue in defamation. Ultimately, it argues that the Australian and English and Welsh approaches disproportionately disadvantage companies, particularly small ones, whereas the Canadian approach overprotects corporate reputation. It concludes by offering an alternative way forward that, although not perfect, provides a better balance between the interests.

中文翻译：

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对澳大利亚、英格兰和威尔士以及加拿大利用诽谤保护企业声誉的三种不同方法的分析

使用诽谤法保护企业声誉是有争议的。澳大利亚、加拿大以及英格兰和威尔士一直处于这场辩论的中心，因为尽管它们的诽谤法具有许多共同特征，但它们采取了不同的方法来允许公司提起诽谤诉讼。因此，在所有三个司法管辖区，诽谤法仍然是公司用来保护其声誉的诉讼因由。本文的主要关注点是这些方法的有效性，1特别是鉴于 2020 年通过的澳大利亚诽谤法改革进一步限制了公司提起诽谤诉讼的权利。最后，它认为澳大利亚、英国和威尔士的做法对公司不利，尤其是小型企业，而加拿大的做法过度保护了企业声誉。最后，它提供了一种替代的前进方式，虽然并不完美，但可以在利益之间提供更好的平衡。