This might be costing us $46,000
55tuan is one of the top group buy sites in China, which is pretty impressive given that there are over 5,000 of them. But being on top means being in the spotlight, and that means it’s hard to get away with anything. Like, for example, using a comedian’s image to market some of your deals without actually getting his permission.
The Beijing Times is reporting that xiangsheng comedian Cao Yunjin is suing 55tuan for 300,000 RMB (about $47,000) in “emotional compensation”, claiming they violated his image rights by using his image without his permission. According to Cao’s suit, the company used three separate images of the comedian in promotional materials back in May of this year.
55tuan has already responded, saying that the images were furnished by an advertising firm in Hebei, and that 55tuan bears no responsibility for them. On the one hand, that seems like a pretty weak attempt at passing the buck. On the other hand, we didn’t actually get Cao’s permission to post the image above either, so….hey Mr. Cao! Please don’t sue us! You couldn’t get much money out of us anyway.
In fact, come to think of it, you might have a hard time getting money out of 55tuan too, considering they’re not making a profit.
[Beijing Times via Sina Tech, image via People.com.cn]
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