Chinese Reporter Sued Over iPod Story
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
iPod manufacturer, Foxconn, has sued a report and an editor working at a Chinese newspaper, claiming that they tarnished their company's image by publishing an article about the poor working conditions. Wang You, a reporter for China Business News, and Weng Bao, an editor at the newspaper, are both being sued by the company for around $3.77 million. But, it got worse when Foxconn has the Chinese courts freeze the personal assets for both Wang You and Weng Bao. Recently, Apple Computer completed an audit of Foxconn for their working conditions and said that everything checked out - So did Foxconn have the right to sue these two men?While I'm a big supporter of free speech and the right to speak your mind freely, which really isn't in the norm in China, these journalists did make libelous statements in their publication (See some of the discussion at iLounge). In the United States, you can be taken to court for libelous statements, but it can be easily dropped for a number of reasons, such as comment on a important public issue, fact, or opinion. Personally, I would of preferred if Foxconn sent a cease-and-desist letter as a warning before suing them. I'm interested to find out what's your thoughts on this issue? Did Foxconn do the right thing?
