Maxim Ali has commented for Pravo.ru on the position of the armed forces in relation to online reviews of doctors

The Supreme Court ordered a case to be reheard which involved a doctor who sought to delete a profile, shown on a review site, Prodoctorov.ru. The lower courts sided with the defendant, taking into account the public nature of the information used about the full name, position and place of work, as well as the registration of the site as a media outlet, its work to verify reviews and the potentially significant nature of the information. However, in the opinion of the highest court in Russia, the decision did not taken into account that the proceedings essentially concerned with the search for a balance between the right to privacy and the legitimate activities of the media. During the hearings, the doctor’s standing, as well as conflicting arguments of the parties about the site’s affiliation with the media and verification of reviews before publication, were not properly evaluated.

Commenting on the Supreme Court’s ruling, Maxim Ali, Head of the IP/IT Practice at Maxima Legal, noted that it was unclear what information could infringe the claimant’s right to privacy. “The court refers to the general position that information about professional activities can also be related to private life, but does not draw a distinction between the public information that patients and the media are entitled to discuss”, Maxim noted.

To read the full article (in Russian), please see the Pravo.ru website >>>