Chan Brothers to take legal action against public figures for 'defamatory statements' made on FB

Local tour agency Chan Brothers Travel has said that it will take legal action against "public figures" who allegedly made "false and unfounded" allegations against them on Facebook. 

In its statement, the agency said that it had organised a private Europe tour for some public figures. During the trip, the agency noted that feedback was shared with them.

Don't miss: Popular bookstore issues legal letter to 'populist' t-shirt seller over trademark infringement

"We actively sought to address their concerns and invited them to meet in person upon their return to Singapore so that we could deal with matters in the aftermath directly and thoroughly," it wrote. However, Chan Brothers Travel noted that these public figures chose to make "false and unfounded" allegations against them through "multiple" Facebook livestreams. 

The travel agency emphasised that while it respects open dialogue, the "severity" of these "defamatory statements" compelled them to take steps to "uphold fairness" and to ensure that the "truth prevails".

"After careful consideration and legal advice, we have decided to take legal action to protect our trust and reputation," it said, adding that they needed to be accountable to its stakeholders and customers. 

"Our firm response is crucial for a fair resolution and to set an example for responsible digital conversations."

While the individuals were not named in a Facebook post the agency put up regarding the lawsuit, netizens drew a connection to digital content creator Wang Lei who recently put up a livestream complaining about a travel agency in Hokkien and Mandarin. 

The livestream took place over 30 minutes and saw Wang speaking about the tour agency alongside three women including getai singer Anderene Choo and comedian Tay Yin Yin. The group did not name the travel agency in their post.

Chan Brothers Travel joins a growing number of local brands launching lawsuits at individuals threathening its legitimacy. Recently, local bookstore Popular issued a legal letter to Singaporean clothing store Hashtag65 after it launched a t-shirt taking advantage of a political situation regarding then-speaker of parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.

In July, Tan issued an apology after he made an inappropriate remark during a parliamentary sitting. In the exchange, which happened after Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim gave a speech, Tan could be heard muttering an expletive and calling Lim a "populist". Tan's comments were picked up by the microphone and he later apologised for his "unparliamentary language" that should not have been said. 

The incident quickly went viral with many meme sites picking the phrase up and making jokes about it. Another brand hoping to capitalise on the issue was clothing store Hastag65 which launched a bright red t-shirt with the word 'populaist' emblazoned on it. However, in its design, it took inspiration from bookstore Popular, a move the bookstore took offense with.

Popular quickly issued a legal letter to Hashtag65 which was posted on Facebook by the clothing brand. In the letter, Popular's solicitors noted that Popular takes the protection of its intellectual property rights, including its registered trademarks, its copyright works, its substantial goodwill that it has built up over the years and its logo very seriously as a "cherished" brand in Singapore. 

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