BYD has disclosed multiple online infringement cases this year.
On December 25, BYD’s legal department said in a statement that the company has received a first-instance court judgment in a case involving the infringement of its corporate reputation by several online accounts.
The court found that the defendants had fabricated and disseminated false information about BYD through relevant accounts, damaging the company’s brand reputation and constituting infringement.
The court ordered the defendants to cease the infringing conduct, eliminate the negative impact, and compensate BYD RMB 2 million ($280,000).
In its statement, BYD said it respects public supervision and reasonable criticism, but stressed that cyberspace is not beyond the reach of the law.
The company said it will continue to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests through legal channels against acts such as insults, rumor-mongering and malicious defamation.
Commenting on the ruling, BYD’s head of brand and public relations Li Yunfei said the company accepts reporting and criticism based on objective facts. Even in cases involving misunderstandings, the company is willing to communicate and clarify.
However, he adds that BYD will resolutely pursue accountability for long-term, systematic fabrication of facts and malicious attacks on its corporate image.
In fact, BYD has disclosed multiple online infringement cases this year.
In early September, a court issued a final ruling in a case involving an account that had long published false and insulting content, finding infringement and ordering the defendant to issue a public apology and pay a total of RMB 2.0187 million ($282,620) in economic damages and related compensation.
On November 20, BYD’s legal department announced another ruling in a separate online infringement liability dispute, in which the court ordered the relevant account to issue a public apology through designated channels for reputational infringement and to pay total compensation of RMB 313,800 ($44,000).
The outcomes of these cases are closely linked to recent changes in the broader regulatory environment affecting the automotive sector.
In September, the Cyberspace Administration of China, together with multiple departments, launched a three-month special campaign to address online misconduct in the automotive industry.
It targets malicious smearing, false reviews, rumor-spreading and related behavior, and subsequently released two batches of typical cases.
In December, China’s state broadcaster CCTV further exposed the operations of so-called “online smear networks” targeting the automotive industry.
The report said multiple automakers, including Xpeng, Great Wall Motor and BYD, have all faced reputational rights infringements to varying degrees.
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