Nio said Friday that Chinese courts have ruled in its favor in two separate defamation cases against social media bloggers.
Both EV-focused content creators have been accused of spreading false information about the electric vehicle maker’s financial condition, and were now ordered to pay compensation and issue public apologies.
In September, founder and CEO William Li had called for tougher measures against organized online attacks that he said are damaging China’s automotive industry.
The Shanghai-based company’s legal department announced the court victories in a statement posted to its official Weibo account, part of an escalating campaign to combat what Nio describes as malicious online attacks targeting its business and financial standing.
Su Chuyuan, owner of the account “Electric Vehicle Chatter” (电动汽车叨逼叨) and related profiles, was found liable for attacking Nio‘s operations and financial health under the guise of professional financial analysis since 2023.
The court determined that Su used the content to drive illegal traffic and generate improper profits, ordering compensation and a public apology.
In a separate ruling, Xie Xiansheng, owner of the account “Chinese Tech” (中文科技) and others, was found to have fabricated and repeatedly disseminated false capital markets information about Nio. The court similarly ordered Xie to pay damages and apologize publicly.
Both judgments are first-instance rulings and may be subject to appeal.
Government-Backed Crackdown
In September, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and five other agencies launched a three-month nationwide campaign to combat illegal profit-seeking, exaggerated advertising, and malicious defamation targeting automakers.
Nio said it will continue to support the six-ministry rectification campaign and “resolutely employ legal measures to combat all types of infringing conduct, including malicious misrepresentation of corporate financial conditions and deliberate attacks on corporate products and services.”
The company established its legal department account on Weibo in May 2023 specifically to combat false information and protect its corporate image.
Since then, Nio has pursued multiple lawsuits against bloggers and social media influencers accused of spreading defamatory content.
Previous Statements
Last month, the owner of the WeChat account ‘Roadside News Agency,’ who had been accused of spreading rumors about Nio‘s capital market activities, was also identified by the police, who “imposed penalties according to the law.”
The Douyin account ‘Brother Sen’s EV,’ which, according to the EV maker, has “since April 2023, repeatedly insulted and defamed Nio and Nio users,” had its account permanently banned.
In mid-October, Nio flagged that user Dong Bin, who operated through the account ‘BelieveDB,’ as “continuously and intensively” posting false content regarding Nio since 2023.
The court ordered him to issue a public apology and compensate the EV maker.
Over the summer, the company sued another five accounts for “maliciously defaming the brand,” just a month after seven bloggers were sued after the company noticed “a large number of online accounts fabricating information out of thin air to attack” both its core and Onvo brands.
The EV maker opened the Nio Legal Department account on the social media platform Weibo in May 2023, aiming to fight false information on social media and protect the company’s image.
Full statement from Nio’s Legal Department
“Malicious Defamation of Nio: Multiple Online Accounts Ordered to Compensate and Apologize
Su Chuyuan, the operator of online accounts such as “EV Chatterbox,” has, since 2023, used the guise of professional financial-report analysis to maliciously attack Nio‘s business operations and financial status, seeking to gain traffic and illicit profits.
According to a first-instance court ruling, his actions infringed upon Nio‘s lawful rights and interests.
The court ordered him to compensate Nio and issue a public apology.
Xie Xiansheng, the operator of online accounts such as “Chinese Tech,” maliciously fabricated and repeatedly disseminated false capital-market information related to Nio to attract attention and unlawfully generate traffic.
A recent first-instance court ruling found that his actions infringed upon Nio‘s lawful rights and interests. He was ordered to compensate Nio and issue a public apology.
Nio will continue to respond to the call of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and five other departments regarding a special campaign to rectify online misconduct in the automotive industry.
Nio remains firm in using legal means to combat all types of infringement, including malicious distortion of corporate financial conditions and deliberate attacks on corporate products and services, effectively safeguarding the lawful rights and interests of both the company and its users, and working together to build a clean and healthy online environment.
Thank you all for your attention and support.”
