iPod manufacturer alters libel suit against journalists
Following outcry, Foxconn reduces damages sought over reports of unfair working conditions in Chinese plant.
The two China Business News journalists at the center of the case, Wang You and Weng Bao, were initially hit with a libel suit claiming 30 million yuan (around $3.8 million) in damages and had their assets, including bank accounts, frozen by a Chinese court.
But the ensuing furor seems to have had an effect. Foxconn is
The disputed articles alleged that workers in Foxconn's Longhua plant were forced into extra overtime, put up with cramped living conditions and had to stand for 12 hours or more at a time.
A recent
In a statement earlier this week, Foxconn accused the pair of "careless journalism," adding: "Of this entire episode, what the company had asked for is simply the right to protect her reputation, to preserve the Chinese dignity. Any claim to us is more for its symbolic meaning than anything. We hereby solemnly announce that we will donate entire eventual compensation to non-profit organization for good cause."
The suit provoked a media outcry, culminating in an open letter from
Jo Best of Silicon.com reported from London.