THE NET . . . LIBEL LAW, $64 AND A CHILL

A controversial lawsuit considered a precursor of possible applications of libel law in electronic journalism was settled early this week, and Netheads used to a free-flowing exchange of information are bracing for a chill. Brock N. Meeks, a Virginia journalist and the best-known electronic chronicler of happenings on the Internet, has agreed to pay Ohio direct marketer Benjamin D. Suarez $64 in court costs -- and to notify Suarez at least 48 hours before Meeks pens any stories about the businessman. Suarez had launched the lawsuit on March 22 after Meeks wrote in his Internet newsletter, Cyberwire Dispatch, that a Suarez-run promotion was a scam.