Talk back: Blocked netizen sues website

A Henan netizen has filed a lawsuit against a local news group for blocking his IP address to prevent him from commenting on its website's bulletin board.

Wang Haiyang, 60, who runs a private company, was blacklisted last year by www.dahe.cn, a news portal belonging to Dahe Daily News Group in Henan Province, for using abusive language during online debates.

It is the first time a virtual argument has led to a real lawsuit in China, and the case is raising concerns nationwide.