Elon Musk-led Tesla’s rival, BYD, is taking legal action against 37 influencer accounts and monitoring 126 others for alleged disinformation and damaging content online, a report claims. The Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer has also reportedly announced a financial incentive program, offering significant rewards for verified leads on suspected online disinformation. Recently, BYD’s Legal Department released a statement via its official WeChat account, providing updates on several ongoing legal cases concerning online defamation, CarNewsChina reports. The report claims that the company has also confirmed that it is pursuing legal action against the 37 influencer accounts. Meanwhile, the company’s long-term financial incentive program is offering rewards ranging from 50,000 to 5 million yuan (nearly $6,900 to $690,000), the report adds. These rewards will be offered for verified information related to suspected online disinformation targeting the company.
What BYD said about suing influencers for spreading disinformation online
In a statement to CarNewsChina, Li Yunfei, General Manager of BYD’s Branding and PR Department, reiterated the company’s stance, noting that all related posts and comment threads have been preserved as legal evidence. “We welcome media criticism and public oversight, but we will not tolerate defamatory content or false accusations. Legal action will continue,” Yunfei noted.The company also said that it has been the target of repeated online attacks in recent years, involving false or misleading information that the company claims has damaged its brand image, disrupted market order, and impacted the broader automotive industry. Despite BYD referring to these incidents as «organised» or «coordinated,» it has yet to present public evidence to support these claims. The company has also cited several legal rulings as examples of its efforts to fight defamation. In one case, a Weibo user was ordered to publicly apologise and pay 100,000 yuan for accusing BYD of using influencers to smear rivals. A WeChat Video account faced similar penalties for insulting the company and its executives. Other accounts on WeChat and Douyin were also found guilty of making false claims about product safety, resulting in fines. Meanwhile, individual users faced police penalties, administrative detention, or ongoing criminal investigations for spreading unverified or defamatory statements about BYD’s financial stability and vehicle safety.BYD claimed that more lawsuits over similar cases are still in progress. While some court rulings have supported the company’s claims, other investigations are ongoing.
