- BYD won second-instance judgment against a prominent auto blogger, securing 2 million yuan ($293,510) in damages.
- The payout is one of the largest on record for similar cases.
BYD (HKEX: 1211) has secured a final court victory in its legal battle against a social media blogger accused of defaming its brand image.
The auto blogger, known as "龙哥讲电车" (literally "Brother Long Talks EVs"), was ordered to issue a public apology to BYD and pay 2 million yuan ($293,510) in damages.
The vlogger posted an apology video on his personal account on May 16, confirming the ruling.
The case stems from a lawsuit filed by BYD in October 2023, accusing the blogger and his affiliated accounts of long-term disparagement of the company's commercial reputation by fabricating information about defects in BYD's core component systems.
The court ruled that the blogger's dissemination of false information constituted unfair competition, with the awarded damages being the highest of its kind in such lawsuits in China.
The verdict comes as the Chinese auto industry mounts a collective pushback against so-called "black PR" smear campaigns.
The blogger, who claims to have 10 years of auto repair experience, has been sued by a total of three automakers for similar infringements, facing cumulative damages exceeding 2.26 million yuan.
In addition to BYD, Seres also won a recent infringement case after the court found the blogger misled consumers through selective video editing and other tactics, ordering him to pay 160,000 yuan in damages.
The blogger issued an apology statement to Seres on May 11 and has fulfilled his compensation obligations.
Furthermore, another compensation claim filed by Seres against the blogger is currently under judicial review.
Xpeng also won an earlier judicial ruling, which determined that malicious remarks published by the blogger's affiliated company exceeded the reasonable scope of normal product reviews, ordering a compensation of 100,000 yuan.
In China's hyper-competitive EV market, some bloggers have sought attention by fabricating controversial topics, prompting regulators and companies to jointly step up their crackdown efforts.
Last September, six government departments, including China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, launched a joint special campaign to crack down on false advertising and malicious attacks in the auto industry.
($1 = 6.8142 yuan)
