A group of doctors in Japan has filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming damages as a result of derogatory and false reviews posted online.
According to coverage in the Associated Press, the lawsuit was filed Thursday in Tokyo District Court. The doctors are seeking 1.4 million yen ($9,400) in damages.
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs are suing on behalf of 63 medical professionals who say they lost business as a result of inflammatory reviews appearing on Google Maps. Many of the reviews, the lawyers claim, are fake.
“The damage suffered is substantial, and the people have been powerless to fight back. We don’t agree that the platform shares no responsibility,” Yuichi Nakazawa, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told reporters at a press conference.
The doctors rebuke Google for allegedly doing very little to fix the problem, despite their formal complaints. The Google Maps app is very popular in Japan, and much of the public uses its reviews to make decisions in the market, the lawyers said.
The lawsuit itself is largely symbolic, with awards averaging about 23,000 yen ($150) per plaintiff. Class action litigation in Japan is very rare, and this particular case, the lawyers said the case serves to make the public aware of the problems with Google and its review system.
Google has yet to officially respond to the lawsuit in court. A trial date has not been set.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.