A Tokyo court has dismissed a landmark lawsuit filed by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa against tech giant Meta, ruling that the platform operator is not directly liable for fraudulent investment ads using his image.
TOKYO: A Tokyo court dismissed on Tuesday Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s lawsuit against US tech giant Meta and its Japan unit over the use of his name and image in fraudulent investment ads on their platforms.
Online fraudsters commonly use Maezawa’s name and picture without his permission to lure victims. One typical advert captions his image: “Started with 10,000 yen ($63). Gained 1.3 million yen in four days.”
Maezawa, the founder of Japan’s largest online clothing retailer, filed the lawsuit in 2024, saying Meta was “not making efforts” to stop the incidents.
