We care about your reputation. The Internet in particular is often used as a digital pillory, which can often have significant personal and economic consequences. If you don’t want to sit idly by, then talk to us. We check and delete negative comments in blogs, forums, on Facebook or other platforms. We also help you with bad reviews on Google or review portals.
FAQ Negative Reviews on the Internet
Has a negative false review been published about you or your company? Here you will find answers to questions we are regularly asked.
Every person has a general right to privacy, which is guaranteed by the constitution. This also includes protection against insults. These include damage to reputation. A negative, false review can damage your reputation and harm your general right to privacy. In addition, your professional freedom can also be harmed if the negative review reduces your sales.
Basically yes.
If you know the author of the review, you can of course try to resolve the issue directly with them. However, this is usually not possible due to the anonymity of the reviewer. In this case, you should first complain to the platform operator. Many review platforms, such as Google Reviews, have set up a reporting function directly on the respective post, which takes you directly to a form to fill out. For others, such as Kunununu, you have to contact the operator by email.
No matter how you contact the operator, you should always give precise reasons why the specific review violates the law. This means you must explain why the person making the review is not telling the truth. Various arguments can be used here. These depend on the specific situation, i.e. your company type, the type of review, the reviewer and the review platform. We would be happy to help you formulate a precise report.
First, the platform operator will check your report. If they come to the conclusion that the report is justified, they will delete the review. Unfortunately, the operator will often decide in favor of the reviewer.
If this is the case, your only option is to file a lawsuit. If you know the identity of the reviewer, you can sue them directly for an injunction. However, this is usually not possible, precisely because the platform is not allowed to pass on the contact details of its users.
Otherwise, you can use the lawsuit to try to force the platform operator to delete the review. The court will then decide whether the review is legal or not. Various violations of competition law can be considered here. It is crucial whether the review platform is neutral or offers brokerage services or advertising opportunities and thus also pursues its own interests.
No, you cannot demand complete deletion, at least not on neutral platforms. This would be too great a restriction on the freedom of expression of users and the platform. You can only demand deletion of the specific, offensive post. On non-neutral platforms, complete deletion is possible. However, it depends on the individual case. We will be happy to check for you whether you can demand complete deletion or not.
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Media law attorney
Dr. David Slopek has more than 10 years of intensive practical experience gained in Germany and abroad. After completing his studies, obtaining a Master of Laws and a doctorate at Heinrich-Heine-University-Düsseldorf, he was admitted to the bar by the Düsseldorf Bar Association in 2012. He learned his legal craft from scratch in a leading international law firm, for which he worked for around seven years in Alicante and Hamburg. In 2016, the Hanseatic Bar Association of Hamburg awarded him the title of specialist lawyer for intellectual property law. In addition to his professional qualifications, he has also published extensively, with over 80 specialist publications. He and his team will advise you with expertise and experience in all matters of trademark law.