In short, Taiwanese cosplayer 阿兆 (Ajo) struggled for 10 years to lose 20 kg so she can fulfill her dream of becoming a beautiful cosplayer. Some guy reposted to a news blog and questioned that she probably used surgery for her weight loss. She sued him and the courts determined that the blogger simply questioned the news and did not qualify for criminal prosecution. For reference:
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Chapter 27 of the Criminal Code covers offenses against an individual’s reputation.
An individual who publicly insults another can, under Article 309 of the Code, face detention or a fine of not more than NT$9,000.
The offense of defamation, under Article 310 of the Code, occurs when an individual raises or circulates a fact that will harm the reputation of another and does so with the intent that the fact be communicated to the public. The offense is punishable by one year imprisonment, detention, or a fine of up to NT$15,000. The offense is punishable by two years’ imprisonment, detention, or a fine of up to NT$30,000 when the information has been circulated by way of written word or a drawing. It will be a valid defense to establish the truth of the information as fact unless that fact relates to the personal life of the victim and is not of public concern.
It will also be a valid defense under Article 311 of the Code if an individual who made the statement did so with good intent under the following circumstances:
i.) in the protection of a legal interest, self defense, or self-justification;
ii.) as a public official reporting in their official capacity;
iii.) as a fair comment on a matter open to public criticism; or
iv.) as a fair report on political proceedings, legal proceedings, or a public meeting.
An individual who publicly insults a deceased person can, under Article 312 of the Code, face detention or a fine of not more than NT$9,000. The offense of defamation committed against a deceased person can be punished by one year imprisonment, detention, or a fine of up to NT$30,000.
An individual who harms the credit of another by fraudulent actions or the circulation of rumors is deemed to have committed an offense under Article 313 of the Criminal Code. The offense is punishable by two years imprisonment, detention, or a fine of up to NT$30,000.
A supplemental civil action can be added onto the criminal complaint. And an individual may seek compensation under Articles 184 and 195 of the Civil Code against a party who unlawfully infringes that individual’s rights or infringes that individual’s privacy, reputation, or other legal interests. A successful plaintiff may be compensated for any damage resulting from the infringement, including non-pecuniary damages.
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Here is the "before and after" photos of her weight loss efforts:
Some of her cosplay photos can be found here:
https://worldcosplay.net/zh-hans/member/rolan666
http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2013/02/0 ... d-cosplay/
(This girl is 33 years old, BTW)
For those who can read Chinese, you can access Taiwan's largest BBS on the web via PPT web BBS and read all kinds of weird scandalous news like this. Be warned that the volume is very high:
https://www.ptt.cc/index.bbs.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PTT_Bulletin_Board_System
