FACEBOOK CAN BE SUED OVER BAN, COURT RULES
Facebook Inc. lost a crucial legal battle Friday as a Paris court ruled the social network can be sued in France over its decision to remove the account of a French user who posted a photo of a famous 19th- century nude painting.
It means a French court will now be entitled to hear the case of Frederic Durand-Baissas, pictured, a 57- yearold Parisian teacher and art lover whose Facebook ac- count was suspended five years ago without prior notice. That was the day he posted a photo of Gustave Courbet’s 1866 The Origin of the World, which depicts female genitalia.
He wants his account reactivated and is asking for 20,000 euros (US$31,000) in damages. “This is a case of free speech and censorship,” Durand-Baissas said.