How to Remove Malicious Reviews on Amazon

Amazon is an online shopping site where you can purchase a variety of products, such as books and home appliances. On Amazon, you can post and check product reviews. Among these reviews, there may be negative ones, such as “I wasted my money on this book. The author is an idiot.” or “I received a defective product and they wouldn’t let me return or exchange it.” Users who are considering purchasing products on search engines like Google or on Amazon may come across these malicious reviews. If there are malicious reviews posted on Amazon, is it possible to request their removal? Also, in what cases would it be better to consult a lawyer?

What is Amazon?

At Amazon, you can purchase a wide range of products, including books, electronics, and groceries. There is also a feature that allows users to write product reviews, so users can refer to these reviews when purchasing products. Therefore, if malicious negative reviews are posted on Amazon, there is a risk that users who are searching for products on search engines like Google and Yahoo, or on Amazon itself, may see these reviews and decide not to purchase the product.

What are Malicious Reviews Posted on Amazon?

When you search for products such as books on Amazon, you can view the product’s photos, descriptions, and reviews. Among these reviews, there are some that seem to be negative with malicious intent. What kind of negative reviews can be posted on Amazon’s products? Below, we will illustrate some examples of negative reviews that seem to have malicious intent.

Reviews that Deny the Author’s Personality

This is a case where a review is written about a book saying, “I wasted my money on this book. The author is an idiot.” Opinions about a book vary from person to person, but it can be said that this is a review that denies the author’s personality. As a result of such negative reviews being posted, users may lose their desire to buy the book, which could lead to a decrease in sales.

Negative Reviews about Customer Service and Support

This is a case where a review is posted about a product such as an appliance saying, “Even though it was defective, they didn’t let me return or exchange it.” If the product was actually defective and they didn’t handle it, it might be inevitable to get such a review. However, there is also a possibility that the user used the product in the wrong way and mistakenly thought it was defective. In such cases, if a review is posted assuming that the product is defective and that the appropriate customer service was not provided, it could have a negative impact, such as a decrease in the number of purchasers of the product.

Other Groundless Defamatory Reviews and Rumor Damage Reviews, etc.

On Amazon’s reviews, there may be cases where malicious reviews are posted that go beyond the scope of product reviews and defame or cause rumor damage to specific authors or products. It is believed that such reviews should be deleted in the same way as defamatory posts and rumor damage posts on anonymous bulletin boards such as 5channel (formerly 2channel). For information on how to request the deletion of posts on 5channel (formerly 2channel), please refer to the article below.

https://monolith.law/reputation/deletionrequest-for-2chand5ch[ja]

How to Request Removal for Violation of Community Guidelines

Can you request Amazon to remove malicious reviews posted on their platform? If you come across a review that violates Amazon’s community guidelines, you can report it by clicking on the “Report Abuse” link located below the review.

When you click on “Report Abuse”, the following screen will appear, and you can report it to Amazon by pressing the report button.

According to the Amazon Community Guidelines[ja], if there is no “Report Abuse” link, you should describe the location of the post you believe is in violation and clearly state the reason for the violation, and contact community-help@amazon.co.jp. Furthermore, the guidelines prohibit posts that are defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, inciting, obscene, indecent, or lewd, and if these guidelines are violated, actions such as removal of the post may be taken.

The review in the above example, “I wasted my money on this book. The author is an idiot.”, can be considered as violating the community guidelines of “defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, inciting, obscene, indecent, or lewd content”, and can be reported for violation.

Examples of Removal Requests Based on Illegality

When dealing with negative reviews posted on Amazon, it may be necessary to consider whether a review could be considered defamatory (an infringement of personal honor). The requirements for defamation are as follows:

• Publicly
• Pointing out facts
• Damaging a person’s reputation

For example, in cases where a review has been posted stating, “Despite the product being defective, I was not allowed to return or exchange it,” you would need to argue that:

• The statement “Despite the product being defective, I was not allowed to return or exchange it” has a specific meaning,
• Not taking actions such as returns or exchanges despite delivering a defective product is subject to certain legal regulations, and being perceived as engaging in such behavior is disadvantageous for the manufacturer,
• The manufacturer in question is handling returns and exchanges for defective products.

However, even if the three requirements for defamation are met, defamation does not occur if the following conditions are met:

• There is a public nature,
• There is a public interest,
• It is true or the truthfulness is recognized.

Not only the above example, but also other slanderous reviews and rumor damage reviews need to be considered whether they fall under defamation. However, negotiating removal based on legal arguments and discussions may be difficult to do alone without consulting a lawyer. Consulting with a lawyer who has extensive know-how often results in smooth deletion. The requirements for defamation are explained in detail in the article below.

https://monolith.law/reputation/defamation[ja]

Removal by Provisional Disposition

What should you do if your violation report to Amazon does not result in the removal of a review? In such cases, it is possible to request the removal of the review through the courts. Amazon reviews can be removed not only through litigation but also through a procedure called provisional disposition. Litigation often takes 3-12 months to proceed smoothly, and it can take more than a year if it drags on. On the other hand, provisional disposition, if requested from a lawyer who handles many defamation cases, often takes about 2-3 months from request to removal.
The flow of provisional disposition is as follows:

• Filing for provisional disposition
• Examination
• Payment of security deposit
• Issuance of provisional disposition order
• Execution

In the case of provisional disposition, in addition to legal arguments, you must submit evidence to prove those arguments. For example, if a review is posted as in the above example, stating, “The product was defective, but I couldn’t get a refund or exchange,” you would submit:

• The instruction manual for the product in question
• A document confirming the usage status of the product in question
• A manual on how to handle returns/exchanges of defective products

As evidence, and argue that “The product in question is not defective, but appears to have broken due to incorrect usage. We are properly handling returns and exchanges for defective products.” However, it may be difficult to make such arguments and prove them on your own without the help of a lawyer. For more details on removal by provisional disposition, please refer to the article below.

https://monolith.law/reputation/provisional-disposition[ja]

Identifying the Poster through Provisional Disposition

If malicious defamatory reviews or reviews that cause reputational damage have been posted over a long period of time, you can request a lawyer to carry out a procedure called a sender information disclosure request. The sender information disclosure request is a procedure based on Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Japanese Provider Liability Limitation Act. Through this procedure, you can request the disclosure of information such as the IP address, name, and address of the person who is believed to be posting defamatory reviews or reviews causing reputational damage. On Amazon, there may be individuals who hold a grudge against specific authors or manufacturers and post baseless rumors or defamatory reviews. In such cases, if the poster’s IP address and name are known, it may be possible to identify the poster. The procedure for identifying the sender is as follows:

1. Request for information disclosure to the content service provider
2. Application for provisional disposition for sender information disclosure
3. Identification of the transit provider
4. Application for provisional disposition to prevent deletion of sender information to the transit provider
5. Lawsuit for sender information disclosure request
6. Identification of the sender based on the court’s judgment

Once the poster has been identified through the above procedures, it becomes possible to claim damages from the poster for the attorney’s fees and compensation for emotional distress incurred in identifying the poster. For more details on the sender information disclosure request, please refer to the article below.

https://monolith.law/reputation/disclosure-of-the-senders-information[ja]

Summary

Amazon is an online shopping site where you can purchase a wide range of products, not only books but also electronics and fashion items. Amazon has a feature that allows users to post product reviews. These reviews can be a useful reference for other users when considering a purchase. However, there are cases where defamatory reviews or reviews causing reputational damage based on misunderstandings or malice are posted.

If you come across a review that you believe violates Amazon’s community guidelines, you can report it. However, there may be instances where the review is not removed even after reporting. In such cases, it may be advisable to request removal or identification of the poster through a court. Legal claims such as defamation can be difficult to handle on your own without the assistance of a lawyer. If you are troubled by defamatory reviews or reviews causing reputational damage, it is important to consult with a lawyer who has extensive knowledge and experience as soon as possible.