14 DAY TRIAL // The last time when Yahoo tried to conquer China, it all ended with some huge problems for the giant portal, the company being forced to announce an internal reorganization as well as numerous departures. Now, the cases are different but they all manage to get Yahoo in trouble. The company was sued by a Chinese dissident for offering private information to the local courts that sentenced him to 10 years in jail. According to SDA India, Yahoo offered private email messages to the court, used by Wang Xianing to communicate about the democratic reform and human rights. Although Yahoo is not interested in the case, it tries to defend itself by citing the Chinese laws that force any local company to comply with the laws and provide any information concerning the users of its services.
"Sources say the suit, which was filed on Wednesday by the US District Court for northern California, supported by the World Organisation for Human Rights USA, held complaints from the dissident Wang Xiaoning and his wife Yu Ling. It charged the Internet firm for being instrumental in divulging information that Chinese courts used to convict Wang, urging Yahoo to amend its policies and use its influence to get Wang out and also seeks unspecific damages," the same source reported.
This is not the first time when Yahoo struggles to increase its presence in China but its attempts are useless. Back in 2006, the giant portal had a powerful offensive in the local market but, although it was the local leader, the customers avoided its products, and Yahoo failed to attract users and suffered several departures. Soon after that, the company announced an internal reorganization that was able to revamp the portal but the Asian domain is still a mediocre regional trademark.