Blogger Fined $7K + Jail Time Over Restaurant Review

From a report originating earlier today from the Taipei Times, the Taichung branch of Taiwan High Court has sentenced a blogger who wrote that a restaurant’s beef noodles were too salty to 30 dys in detention, along with two years probation and the equivalent of $7,000 in fines. Liu, a blogger who writes about topics including food, health, interior design and general lifestyle topics, also noted that the restaurant was unsanitary due to the presence of cockroaches and the parking lot congestion left much to be desired.

The district court found the blogger’s criticisms “exceeded reasonable bounds,” — particularly the quips about the restaurant’s food being too salty, considering “she only had one dish on her single visit.”

Surprisingly, the remarks about the cockroaches were deemed to be less inappropriate, and were not interpreted as any form of intentional slander.

The ruling was final, and the blogger has apparently apologized to the restaurant for the incident. The NT$200,000 (USD $7,000) was a payment to the owner for supposed loss of revenues as a result of her blog post.

Fining a critic? I’m sure many an artist would love to exercise that action, but what do the ramifications of such a ruling have on the blogosphere as a whole? Review-aggregate sites such as Chowhound and Yelp give a platform for aspiring critics. Imagine you being punished for your opinion or possible slander. [Via OC Register]

In this case, did the punishment fit the “crime”?

Speak on it.