Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardCoulter
Parliament sometimes passes laws using the word 'reasonable'. On the one hand it allows for common sense and fairness, but on the other it leaves what is 'reasonable' to be open to interpretation.
I'm told that what usually happens is that the relevant law is tested in the courts to establish a precedence. After this, case law is generally used to argue for or against the issue in any future litigation.
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In situations like these the legislation almost always uses terms like ‘reasonable’. It’s the reason why your small, local coffee shop in the village centre probably doesn’t have a wheelchair accessible toilet or ramped access - it is not reasonable to install such large, expensive, intrusive measures in a small building that lacks the space or the financial resources. In my favourite local seaside town almost none of the cafes have any toilet at all. This is reasonable; they are long established in Victorian and Georgian buildings and it would not be reasonable to expect them to undertake prohibitively expensive measures to comply with the general requirements of the law.
You seem to be hoping to cast doubt on the word ‘reasonable’ as something a small business owner - or, in this case, a small website - can dare to rely on as a defence in court. You are, as usual, wrong. The different levels of responsibility of business with different levels of resource is uncontroversial.