[1] It was important because it was seen as the first UK internet libel case that represented two individuals rather than one party being an Internet Service Provider,[2] and was the first British case involving a successful prosecution of an individual poster within a chat room.

[3][4] The Manchester Evening News claimed that this contradicted a common assumption among bloggers that it was the publisher and not the writer who was responsible for any libel claims that they may generate.

[5] Mark Stephens, the head of media law at Stephens Finer Innocent, characterised the case as "a dark day for freedom of speech with broad implications",[6] which was denied by the plaintiff Michael Keith Smith.

[7] The case involved unemployed ex-teacher Tracy Williams falsely accusing a former UKIP candidate, Michael Keith Smith, of being a sexual offender and racist bigot.

[10][11] Although the accusations were made in a Yahoo discussion group with about 100 members, damages were awarded as the remarks were available throughout the world.