What criminal consequences face the author of a false review?

Anyone who knowingly publishes a false factual claim as a review risks far more than just its removal. Defamation, malicious falsehood and insult are separate criminal offences under German criminal law, and where a demonstrably false claim is spread contrary to one's own better knowledge, a prison sentence of up to five years can result in serious cases. In practice, most cases end with a fine or a civil injunction, but the criminal element clearly distinguishes a permitted expression of opinion—however harsh—from a deliberately fabricated accusation. It is precisely this boundary that courts must examine carefully in each individual case.