A village party secretary's millet-selling videos were taken down after Xiaomi filed a complaint. What happened, and what are the legal implications?
Recently, Feng Yukuan, the party secretary of Xichujia Village in Rongcheng, Shandong, posted multiple videos promoting locally grown millet on a video platform. Xiaomi's legal team claimed that Feng deliberately imitated the image, style, classic expressions, signature phrases, and tone of Xiaomi executives when introducing products. The platform subsequently removed the videos following Xiaomi's complaint, citing "deliberate imitation of Lei Jun's marketing style" and "defamation of Xiaomi executives' image."
Both sides have responded. Feng initially defended his actions, stating that he was selling locally grown millet and urged Xiaomi to "broaden its perspective." Later, he posted an apology video. Xiaomi's official Weibo account @XiaomiSpokesperson denied claims that "Xiaomi banned the sale of millet," calling the allegations completely false and a distortion of facts.
The core legal issue revolves around whether the videos constitute defamation by damaging Xiaomi executives' reputation. According to China's Civil Code, reputation refers to the public's evaluation of an individual or entity's character, prestige, ability, and credibility. Any act that harms reputation through slander or falsehood may constitute infringement. The key factors are whether the videos contained malicious distortions or fabricated content and whether they actually lowered public perception of Xiaomi or its executives.
Generally, if the imitation was done in good faith for agricultural promotion without crossing reasonable boundaries, it may not be legally considered defamation. However, if the content caused actual harm, the creator could face legal liability.
From a broader perspective, collaboration between tech brands and rural revitalization efforts could create more social value than confrontation. What are your thoughts on this incident? Feel free to share in the comments.