A court of first instance has ruled that the self-media account "AutoReport汽车产经" disseminated content across multiple platforms that was inadequately fact-checked, misattributed, and clearly derogatory, thereby infringing upon the reputation rights of Xiaomi Corp.. The account operator has been ordered to remove the infringing content, issue a public apology, and pay compensation of 5 million yuan to Xiaomi Corp.. The 5 million yuan compensation amount in this case is considered relatively high among corporate reputation rights protection lawsuits.
Legal experts point out that when online speech constitutes reputation rights infringement, the civil liability borne by the infringer should correspond to the specific actions and the scope of impact caused. Specific forms of civil liability include ceasing the infringement, offering apologies, eliminating negative effects, restoring reputation, and providing compensation for losses. In corporate reputation rights litigation cases, translating the circumstances of infringement into specific economic compensation amounts requires more legal precedents to emerge. Courts typically determine compensation amounts based on a comprehensive assessment of factors such as the subjective malice of the infringement, its duration, and its social impact.
The first-instance judgment in the case of "AutoReport汽车产经" infringing upon Xiaomi Corp.'s reputation rights demonstrates that the statements disseminated by this self-media account not only harmed the company's commercial reputation but also adversely affected the public opinion environment within the new energy vehicle industry. Particularly as competition in the new energy vehicle market intensifies, false reports and evaluations from online media can easily confuse consumer perception, undermine consumer confidence, disrupt market order, and damage the industry ecosystem. The losses caused by such infringements should not be underestimated.
In recent years, there has been a growing awareness among enterprises regarding using legal measures to protect their reputation rights. Companies such as Pang Donglai and Dongfeng Motor have previously utilized legal avenues to safeguard their commercial reputation and obtained compensation awards amounting to millions. These precedents, together with the Xiaomi Corp. vs. "AutoReport汽车产经" case, are expected to provide reference for future determinations of corporate reputation rights infringements and compensation amounts, while also strengthening the confidence of private enterprises in legally protecting their commercial reputation.
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