Websites win partial victory in Eli Lilly case

A federal judge in New York gave websites a partial victory by acknowledging that when documents are published on the Internet, they take on a life of their own, an existence that cannot be reversed by a court.

Senior U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein issued a mixed decision in the closely watched case involving documents relating to the drug Zyprexa. The case pitted opponents of the drug against its manufacturer, Eli Lilly & Co., and both sides claimed at least part of a victory.

Weinstein ordered that the documents be returned to the proper officials. But he noted that modern communication made it all but impossible to extend a traditional legal remedy such as an injunction to the Internet.

Michael Muskal