Restaurant operator Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) said yesterday that it has filed a lawsuit against three companies in China whose social media accounts have spread false claims about its food, including that its chickens have eight legs.
The case filed by China’s biggest restaurant operator comes as the government intensifies a campaign to clean up rumors on social media.
Internet marketers have been convicted of trying to manipulate online sentiment on behalf of clients by posting false information about competitors or deleting critical posts.
In an announcement posted on its Chinese Web site, KFC said one of the best-known fake rumors was that the chickens used by the company are genetically modified and have six wings and eight legs.
APOLOGY DEMANDED
KFC is demanding 1.5 million yuan (US$242,000) and an apology from each of the three companies that operated accounts on the popular mobile phone app WeChat.
It is also seeking an immediate stop to their infringements.
Shanghai Xuhui District People’s Court has accepted the case, according to a press officer who would only give her surname, Wu.
KFC China chief executive Qu Cuirong (屈翠容) said in a statement that it was hard for companies to protect their brands against rumors because of the difficulties in collecting evidence.
“However, stepped-up efforts by the government in recent years to purify the online environment, as well as some judicial interpretations, have offered us confidence and weapons,” Qu said.
THREE FIRMS
The companies being sued were named as Shanxi Weilukuang Technology Co Ltd, Taiyuan Zero Point Technology Co and Yingchenanzhi Success and Culture Communication Ltd in Shenzhen.
Authorities launched a renewed campaign two years ago to clean up what they called online rumors, negativity and unruliness.
Critics say the campaign was largely aimed at suppressing criticism of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Commentaries in state media have argued that a cleanup was needed.
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