A French academic living in Israel is suing two men for libel because they trashed her book, The Trial Proceedings of the International Criminal Court, in a review. Is saying something sucked libelous, or even criminal?

The reviewer, Thomas Weigend, a German law professor, and Joseph Weiler, an NYU professor and editor of the website Global Law Books which published the review, are now defending themselves in a Paris court against Karin Calvo-Goller's allegations that they damaged her reputation. Yes, a professor living in Israel is suing a German and American in Paris for a book review published in English in the U.S.

And the review wasn't even that bad!

The reviewer, Thomas Weigend, a law professor at the University of Cologne, adopted a measured and patiently condescending tone. He said the book "meticulously covers all relevant topics," and he praised its occasional "analytical nuggets." But he faulted the book for "rehashing the existing legal set-up" and questioned Ms. Calvo-Goller's "conceptual grasp" of some matters.

We were hoping it was something really juicy. Calvo-Goller needs to do what the rest of us do when someone picks on something we wrote: bitch about it to your friends, stalk him/her on Facebook thinking about all the mean things you'd do if you could, and then attack him/her on Twitter.

We better hope her lawsuit is dismissed by the French court. Otherwise Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is about to send a whole bunch of bitches to jail.

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