protos.com
Justin Sun, founder of the TRON blockchain, numerous stablecoins, owner of Poloniex, and adviser to HTX, has been celebrating a recent Chinese court victory against Chongqing Business Media Group. However, the question is, will the win benefit him outside of the Mainland? The odds are that it absolutely will not.
According to a Chongqing court, Chongqing Business Media Group claimed that Sun was under investigation by the FBI and was suspected of insider trading. The court, however, found these claims to be “entirely unsubstantiated,” handing Sun victory on the grounds of defamation.
Many of the claims originated in a Verge article from March of 2022 and since its publication, none have been retracted.
Protos has previously reported on Sun’s false claims of diplomatic immunity and purported fixation on no moderation policies at BitTorrent.
Read more: Scoop: Justin Sun shot down BitTorrent moderation despite porn concerns
However, Sun can’t expect to sue and win cases against media companies located outside of China, mostly due to the fact that rules and regulations are much harsher and less flexible in the country.
As opposed to freer democracies with few successful defamation and libel cases, like the US, China puts the burden of proof on the media companies or individual reporters, with Article 51 of the Chinese constitution stating, “When exercising their freedoms and rights, citizens of the People’s Republic of China shall not undermine the interests of the state, society or collectives, or infringe upon the lawful freedoms and rights of other citizens.”
But Reporters Without Borders reports that China is nearly dead last (ranking 172 out of 180 countries) when it comes to press freedoms — with more than 100 journalists currently sitting behind bars.
In this context, the fact that Chongqing Business Media Group only had to issue an apology and pay a ¥500 fine ($69) isn’t so bad.