"Sooooo... eBay would be accountable for any libel published on their website?"

No, and the key word is "any". If eBay as an entity posted libelous content on their website, they might start to have to worry about being sued.

Internet providers and those who provide websites that involve the exchanges of opinions like eBay's feedback system, and just about any message board, like this forum, are, at least for now, covered under a broad immunity concerning their responsibility for messages posted to their forums.

That doesn't mean that they won't get sued under current laws. It does mean that precedent is being attempted to be set to go after the provider instead of the individual. Nothing new there, the individual doesn't have the deep pockets that the provider might (probably does.)

Currently, an ISP or web-based forum can be subpoenaed to supply the real name of someone posting libel under a fictitious screen name. That's where things are starting to get real sticky.

There are people pressing for legislation to remove the ability for anonymous posting on the internet, or make those responsible for allowing it to happen within their forums or websites to be held accountable for the content. Most of these efforts are driven from the financial corners of the world. When someone posts incorrect information about a stock or company, the impact is sent globally but felt locally, be it the info good or bad for a company.

This can be a very tough subject to discuss, much less brought into a court of law. In the case being discussed here, I hope the jurisdiction(s) involved pitch the suit in the plaintiff's lap and tell him to find better things to do with his time.

Bob