Photo: Tesla via Weibo | Edited
Tesla has stepped up its legal game and is now going after people who tainted its image. The EV maker secured another win in China in a lawsuit against a popular TikTok influencer. According to the sentence, Boss Cai will have to apologize and pay a 100,000 yuan (about $14,400) fine for a "fabricated video."
Tesla has put pressure on people who spread false rumors about its cars, showing that it's willing to go the distance to dampen them. This is obvious in China, where the EV maker had to defend its reputation from those who tried to gain easy fame by discrediting Tesla. In November last year, Tesla won an important case against a customer who claimed that his Model X's brakes failed.
This was an important win for Tesla because the case generated mass hysteria in Chinese social media, with hundreds of claims that Tesla vehicles have defective brakes. Things went so far that people honestly believed Tesla had problems. Many installed video cameras in the foot well to have proof in case the brakes malfunctioned. Probably the best-known incident happened in 2021, during the Shanghai Auto Show, when a protester climbed onto the roof of a Tesla Model 3 to protest against alleged brake failures.
Now, Tesla secured another win against a TikTok influencer known as Boss Cai. Tesla sued Cai (his real name is Cai Jia) for spreading false rumors through a video posted on his Douyin channel (TikTok's name in China) and demanded he pays 5 million yuan ($720,000) in compensation. In the video shared in 2021, Cai claimed that a friend who worked as a supplier for Tesla had revealed shocking information about Tesla and its relation with suppliers. Cai also claimed that Tesla's quality inspectors were doing a sub-par job and used their position to gain personal favors.
In October last year, a Chinese court found that the friend was imaginary and the whole video was fabricated. Boss Cai has also used the accusations against Tesla to increase the number of followers and advertise his TikTok channel. The court ordered Boss Cai to apologize to Tesla and pay 100,000 yuan in compensation. Cai appealed the decision, and the trial started on February 7. The appeals court upheld the original verdict, which is now final.
Tesla's win means the influencer has 15 days to publicly apologize to Tesla. According to the decision, the apology will have to be posted on his TikTok, WeChat, and Weibo social media channels and kept online for at least 90 days. Cai will also have to compensate Tesla 100,000 yuan for damages his video caused. This is just another win in a line of lawsuit victories for the EV maker, who decided to fight all the defamation accusations with lawsuits. So far, Tesla's strategy appears to be working.
This was an important win for Tesla because the case generated mass hysteria in Chinese social media, with hundreds of claims that Tesla vehicles have defective brakes. Things went so far that people honestly believed Tesla had problems. Many installed video cameras in the foot well to have proof in case the brakes malfunctioned. Probably the best-known incident happened in 2021, during the Shanghai Auto Show, when a protester climbed onto the roof of a Tesla Model 3 to protest against alleged brake failures.
Now, Tesla secured another win against a TikTok influencer known as Boss Cai. Tesla sued Cai (his real name is Cai Jia) for spreading false rumors through a video posted on his Douyin channel (TikTok's name in China) and demanded he pays 5 million yuan ($720,000) in compensation. In the video shared in 2021, Cai claimed that a friend who worked as a supplier for Tesla had revealed shocking information about Tesla and its relation with suppliers. Cai also claimed that Tesla's quality inspectors were doing a sub-par job and used their position to gain personal favors.
In October last year, a Chinese court found that the friend was imaginary and the whole video was fabricated. Boss Cai has also used the accusations against Tesla to increase the number of followers and advertise his TikTok channel. The court ordered Boss Cai to apologize to Tesla and pay 100,000 yuan in compensation. Cai appealed the decision, and the trial started on February 7. The appeals court upheld the original verdict, which is now final.
Tesla's win means the influencer has 15 days to publicly apologize to Tesla. According to the decision, the apology will have to be posted on his TikTok, WeChat, and Weibo social media channels and kept online for at least 90 days. Cai will also have to compensate Tesla 100,000 yuan for damages his video caused. This is just another win in a line of lawsuit victories for the EV maker, who decided to fight all the defamation accusations with lawsuits. So far, Tesla's strategy appears to be working.
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