A Dublin company has been refused a declaration it was defamed as a result of one of the world’s best known credit information agencies, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), issuing an incorrect creditworthiness alert that it was on a list of a top 10 of risky companies.

Sign manufacturers CSI Manufacturing Ltd, Ballymount, earlier this year had successfully sought a declaration in the Circuit Court that the alert was false and defamatory.

The president of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, today granted an appeal by Dun & Bradstreet against that decision.

He said the alert was published on a subscription- only internet site, accessible only to people paying a fee.

In this case, the judge added, the alert was seen by just one subscriber, in Belfast, and the publishers, D&B, were based in Buckinghamshire, England.