Zal Dmytro Oleksandrovych

Attorney

E-mail

zal@prikhodko.com.ua

Phone numbers

Specializes in protection of honor and dignity, of copyrights, inventions, patents, trademarks, support of tenders, protection of consumer rights, disputes with insurance companies, legal support in cases of administrative offenses.

Case: Defended the teacher’s reputation

Protection of honor and dignity

Reading time: 3 min.

Client: Irina

City: Novograd-Volynskyi

Goal: protect reputation

In the modern world, we actively use social networks and instant messengers. At the same time, situations often arise when a person’s reputation becomes the object of illegal attacks. Sometimes – through anonymous communication channels. Our law firm successfully defended the rights of a math teacher, Irina, who became a victim of a slanderous campaign in the popular Telegram messenger.

Case Circumstances

We were contacted by a math teacher from one of the lyceums, against whom an information attack was launched in a local Telegram channel. Unknown persons posted an edited photo of our client, adding symbols of the aggressor state to it, and accompanied the publication with offensive comments using obscene language.

The most dangerous aspect was the accusation of supporting the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and financial assistance to the enemy army, because our client works in the educational sector, where reputation plays a key role. Under martial law, any accusations of collaborationism can have catastrophic consequences not only for professional activity, but also for the personal safety of a person.

Legal strategy

The key challenge in the case was the anonymity of those disseminating information. In such cases, most victims mistakenly believe that there is no legal protection and give up.

However, we successfully used the mechanism provided for in paragraph 3 of part 4 of article 277 of the Civil Code of Ukraine – filing a claim with the court to establish the fact of unreliability of the information and its refutation.

Our strategy included:

A detailed analysis of the content of the publication and highlighting the statements subject to legal protection
Collection of evidence for reliable information about the client
Preparation of arguments on the presumption of innocence (Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine)
Distinction between factual statements and value judgments

Photos of the results of our work:

Result: the court partially granted the claim, establishing the fact that the information about support for “SVO” and the Russian army was unreliable. This decision became a fundamental precedent in the practice of protecting reputation from anonymous attacks.

Typical mistakes in self-defense

In our practice, we often encounter cases where victims first try to protect their rights on their own. Unfortunately, the lack of special legal knowledge and experience often leads to the loss of precious time and worsening of the situation. Analysis of such cases allowed us to identify the most common mistakes:

Attempts to refute value judgments. Insulting statements cannot be refuted, since they do not contain factual statements.
Lack of a clear distinction between establishing the unreliability and refuting information.
Incorrect choice of a method of protection without taking into account the anonymity of the information distributor.

Recommendations for such cases

In light of our experience and the successful resolution of Irina’s case, we have developed a set of practical recommendations for people who face similar situations. It is important to understand that every hour of delay can complicate the process of proof and reduce the effectiveness of legal protection. Therefore, we strongly recommend adhering to the following algorithm of actions:

Immediately record the fact of publication of unreliable information (screenshots, notarization of the contents of the web page).
Keep original photographs or other materials that have been illegally modified.
Do not engage in public debate with anonymous offenders.
Seek professional legal assistance at an early stage of the conflict.

Conclusions

Irina’s case demonstrates the effectiveness of legal protection of reputation even in cases of anonymous dissemination of false information. The key to success is the correct choice of protection method and professional legal support. In the context of an information war, it is especially important to have effective mechanisms to counter disinformation and slander.

If you need legal assistance in the context of defamation or any other legal assistance, please fill out the contact form below to discuss your case with a lawyer.

Calculate the cost of services

1 question

Do you have evidence (screenshots, page archives) confirming the fact of publishing false information?

Yes

2 question

Have you tried to contact the resource administrators yourself to remove the information?

Yes

3 question

Does the information you disseminate influence your professional activities?

Yes

Articles and services on the topic of the case:

Law company

Leave a request for legal assistance right now:

9+ years on the market

70+ professional practitioners

Fixed price

Online / offline consultation

Intellectual property

Trademark Registration for IT Projects and Startups Trademark License Agreement Legal support for continuation of the line of this trademark IP Due Diligence (Audit) for Business Protection against counterfeiting Trademark check for novelty (plagiarism) Intellectual property infringement Intellectual property protection on the Internet Barcode registration: how to make a barcode for a product Recognition of a trademark as well-known in Ukraine Software licensing Sublicense agreement Patent for a utility model for military purposes (weapons) Disposal of intellectual property rights Copyright lawyer Response to objection to registration of intellectual property/industrial design Invalidation of a trademark certificate Appealing the refusal to register a patent for an industrial design, utility model or invention Appealing a refusal to register a trademark in Ukraine Objection to the registration of an industrial design Register TM in Ukraine Registration of the copyright Trademark registration Copyright transfer agreement Copyright on project documentation: legal aspects and practical recommendations Objection to trademark registration Compensation for copyright infringement Transfer of rights to an industrial design Agreement on the transfer of ownership of a trademark Trademark protection in Ukraine Trademark registration in France Trademark registration in Germany Trademark registration in China Patent search in Ukraine Trademark registration in foreign countries TM protection at customs International patent search Plagiarism lawsuit TM registration Counterfeit lawyer Registration of intellectual property Fight against counterfeiting and piracy Filing a complaint with the DMCA Internet piracy lawyer Accelerated trademark registration in Ukraine Register a cryptocurrency name Register the copyright of the picture Brand name registration Logo registration Registration of the store name Utility model patent – price of patent registration in Ukraine Register copyright on poems Register the copyright of the song Registration of a pseudonym of an artist / media personality Industrial design patent A claim of improper use of a trademark Protection of intellectual property rights Protection of trademark rights Legal protection against product copying Patenting an invention (know-how) in Ukraine Inspection of patent purity Registration of a trademark in the customs register of Ukraine Agreement on creation to order and use of the object of intellectual property rights Legal protection of the trademark Registration of an international trademark through the Madrid system Obtaining a trademark certificate Software copyright registration Entering the object of intellectual property in the customs register Trademark registration in the USA Song copyright registration Book copyright registration Work Copyright Registration Registration of Copyright for Music Registration of software copyrights Consultation of a lawyer on copyright Certification of cosmetics (cosmetic products) Commercial concession contract Create License agreement Development of a license agreement for the object of intellectual property rights Valuation of intellectual property rights Development of an agreement on the transfer of rights to intellectual property objects Copyright registration Trademark registration in Ukraine Patent registration for intellectual property in Ukraine Registration of a patent for an invention Brand registration in the USA for business on Amazon (Amazon Brand Registry) Evaluation of intellectual property Utility model patent – Utility model patenting in Ukraine Registration of rights to an industrial design International registration of a patent for an industrial design Registration of trademarks Copyrights protection in court Preparation of contracts in the field of intellectual property Registration of a patent for an invention in Ukraine Drafting a Copyright Agreement International trademark registration International registration of the invention International registration of industrial designs Transfer of rights and issuance of licenses for the object of intellectual property Intellectual Property Lawyer