{"id":494,"date":"2024-06-26T03:48:18","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T02:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mediadefence.org\/ereader\/?post_type=publication&p=494"},"modified":"2024-06-26T03:48:20","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T02:48:20","slug":"founding-jurisdiction-and-standing","status":"publish","type":"publication","link":"https:\/\/www.mediadefence.org\/ereader\/publications\/introductory-modules-on-digital-rights-and-freedom-of-expression-online\/module-10-introduction-to-litigating-digital-rights-in-africa\/founding-jurisdiction-and-standing\/","title":{"rendered":"Founding Jurisdiction and Standing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Founding jurisdiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jurisdiction refers to determining the ability or competency of a court or forum to consider and decide a particular matter. Jurisdiction can either be based on geographic areas or on the type of legal issue. It can also be based on where the violation occurred. It is an important and well\u2011established principle that needs to be addressed early on in the development of a litigation strategy as it can have a significant impact on the direction of a case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One challenge in litigating digital rights issues in Africa is that many cases may involve a major multinational technology platform or telecommunications company in some way. While the African Commission on Human and Peoples\u2019 Rights (ACHPR<\/a>) has not yet fully reflected on the establishment of jurisdiction for big tech companies, there may be some insights to draw from cases brought against multinational oil companies across Africa. The case of Friends of the Earth v Shell<\/em>[footnote]Business & Human Rights Resource Center, \u2018Shell lawsuit (re oil pollution in Nigeria)\u2019(2010) (accessible at: https:\/\/www.business-humanrights.org\/en\/latest-news\/shell-lawsuit-re-oil-pollution-in-nigeria\/<\/a>).[\/footnote] provides insight into how to establish jurisdiction when litigating cases involving multinational companies.\u00a0A judge in the Netherlands agreed to allow a Dutch NGO and four Nigerian farmers to bring a compensation case against Shell for environmental degradation said to be caused by the company\u2019s operations in the Niger Delta.[footnote]The Guardian \u2018Shell must face Friends of the Earth Nigeria claim in Netherlands\u2019 (2009) (accessible at: https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2009\/dec\/30\/shell-oruma-alleged-pollution-claim<\/a>).[\/footnote]<\/p>\n\n\n

Establishing standing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The doctrine of standing is commonly understood as the ability of a party to bring a matter to a particular court. This involves an evaluation of any existing applicable restrictions on whether an individual or a civil society organisation (CSO<\/strong>) can file a case. It involves a litigant establishing their interest in a matter: who they are, how they are affected, who they represent, or what interests they represent. To establish standing, a potential litigant needs to demonstrate to the court that there is a sufficient connection between the issue and their interest in the issue. Different courts and tribunals engage with standing differently. Standing is usually the first procedural hurdle that needs to be overcome, so it is important to ensure what the standing requirements are before committing to a litigation strategy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jurisdiction refers to determining the ability or competency of a court or forum to consider and decide a particular matter. Jurisdiction can either be based on geographic areas or on the type of legal issue. It can also be based on where the violation occurred. It is an important and well\u2011established principle that needs to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":491,"menu_order":338,"template":"page-templates\/chapter.php","publication-category":[],"class_list":["post-494","publication","type-publication","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFounding Jurisdiction and Standing | eReader<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jurisdiction and standing are two critical components to digital rights litigation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mediadefence.org\/ereader\/publications\/introductory-modules-on-digital-rights-and-freedom-of-expression-online\/module-10-introduction-to-litigating-digital-rights-in-africa\/founding-jurisdiction-and-standing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" 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