Private lodging (minpaku) company in Kyoto has sued the Japanese branch of Booking.com for 5 million yen in damages, saying it suffered emotional distress after the company refused to remove a bad review.
The plaintiff, Sumire Shoji, runs a rental property in Takatsuki, Osaka. In November 2021, a user left a comment on Booking.com saying the scent of deodorizer was too strong and called the place “the worst” ("saitei"). Sumire Shoji asked for the comment to be deleted, saying it was insulting, but Booking.com replied that reviews are only removed if certain conditions are met. The review remained online for at least two years.
The company’s president, who is also a lawyer, said Booking.com in the Netherlands controls review removal but is not registered in Japan. That makes it hard to take legal action directly in Japan. So, the lawsuit claims the Japanese office should share responsibility for content published on the platform.
A spokesperson for Booking.com Japan said they are still checking the facts and cannot comment yet.
by MagazineKey4532