High Court sets aside judgment against Swiss email service

The High Court has set aside a judgment in favour of an Irish engineering company against the Swiss-based encrypted email service ProtonMail for alleged defamation.

Mr Justice Garrett Simons said it was in the interest of justice to set aside the judgment against the mail provider on grounds including that the defendant has a strong defence to the defamation claims against it. The judge added that it was also in the interest of justice that the court allow DRM Contract Administration Ltd to renew its summons alleging defamation against ProtonMail's owner Proton Technology Ltd.

DRM has sued the defendant before the Irish courts claiming that it was defamed in emails sent in 2018. DRM with an address at Laghey, Co Donegal, sued Proton Technologies AG for up to €10 million for defamation arising out of two emails published under the address “ConcernedTaxPayer1_at_protonmail.com” in which false allegations of fraud and extortion were made.

It is claimed that the emails were sent, to journalists, politicians. elected members of Donegal County Council and a member of the Dáil's Public Accounts Committee.