Pseudonym doesn't protect defamer

Back in 2007 I noted some highly questionable commenting shenanigans at HotCopper, "Australia's most popular stock-market internet discussion site".

A HotCopper commenter has now been found guilty of defamation:

Legal counsel Martin Bennett has a short message for those who allow themselves to attack reputations over the internet, imagining they are safe under the cloak of anonymity. ''You can be hunted down and found,'' he said yesterday.

Mr Bennett has done just that for a Perth client, winning $30,000 in damages and costs, an apology, and undertakings from a Colac man that he won't post any more defamatory comments.

Oops!