Kuwait's 248am Blogger being sued by Benihana over a negative review

A person ate in a restaurant, didn't like the experience and wrote a blog about it, next thing he knows he's being sued by the company's rep...isn't that ridiculous?

Well, in what could be a first in Kuwait, Mark of 248am.com--one of the blogs I am following and possibly the most popular blog here in Kuwait--is being sued by Benihana, a recently-opened Japanese restaurant here.

Being widely read, Mark's blog represents a slice of Kuwait society...He writes about anything and everything, with his occasional reviews (read: his own view)-- from Ipod accessories to flashy cars..and yes, Restaurants...

Back in December, Mark blogged about his dining experience in Benihana. What followed next is a looong exchange of offense and defense between his followers and the restaurant's representative that ultimately leads to a law suit threat. Now the threat becomes real as the company is suing Mark over his negative reviews that "allegedly" hurt the company's reputation..

Judging by the outpouring of support for Mark, the online community is really affected by this..Online blogging may be fairly new here as compared to print and broadcast media but it is widely recognized as an important source of public information anywhere in world..So whatever the outcome of this case may be, it will likely set a precedence not only here in Kuwait and the GCC region but even worldwide.

I am publishing this blog as a support to Mark and the whole blogging community--to help spread the word, and to raise awareness on our social responsibility as bloggers..