Harmony Intelligent Mobility Sues Influencer "Insider Xm_" for $280,000 Over Defamatory Posts Across Platforms

On May 26, Harmony Intelligent Mobility’s legal team issued a statement via its official account announcing that it has filed a lawsuit against the self-media account “Quanneiren Xm_” (UID: 7914630563) and its affiliated matrix accounts. The company demands that the defendants immediately cease their infringing activities, eliminate the adverse effects, and compensate for economic losses amounting to RMB 2 million. According to the statement, the self-media outlet has long published false information and defamatory remarks targeting Harmony Intelligent Mobility’s brand and products across multiple platforms—including Sina Weibo, Douyin, Toutiao, and WeChat Channels—engaging in malicious content repurposing, video editing, and splicing of online rumors, exaggerating negative narratives, inciting group antagonism, misleading the public, and thereby damaging the brand’s reputation. This lawsuit marks Harmony Intelligent Mobility’s latest legal action within half a month following two recent victories in defamation cases. On May 18, the company announced updates on two such cases: In the first, the appellate court upheld the original ruling in the defamation case against the self-media account “I’m Dabin,” ordering it to delete all infringing content, issue a public apology, and pay RMB 1.5 million in compensation. The case originated in March 2023 and concluded after more than a year of proceedings, with the court finding that the defendant’s statements deviated significantly from objective facts and demonstrated clear intent to disparage, thus constituting infringement. In the second case, the self-media account “Piaoqiwei—Mr. Songting” was found guilty of defamation in the first-instance judgment for repeatedly publishing derogatory content and was ordered to issue a public apology and pay RMB 400,000 in damages. Publicly available information shows that “Quanneiren Xm_” is a vertical-content account focused on the new energy vehicle (NEV) sector, primarily known for interpreting controversial topics and leaking insider information about automakers, often using emotionally charged language to attract traffic. It holds notable influence among automotive enthusiasts. As of the time of publication, the account has not issued any public response to the lawsuit, though some of its platform accounts have already hidden the disputed content. In recent years, intensifying competition in China’s NEV market has led to a surge in online “black PR,” malicious smear campaigns, and rumor-driven clickbait. Some self-media outlets, seeking traffic or commercial gain, fabricate product flaws, distort accident causes, and edit videos deceptively to generate negative publicity—sometimes even forming organized “black PR” networks. Such conduct not only harms corporate reputations and interests but also distorts consumer decision-making and disrupts market order. Recently, several companies—including Shangjie Auto and Xiaomi—have disclosed progress in their legal actions against similar misconduct. Legal experts note that the core criteria for determining defamation include whether the statements are factually grounded, whether there is subjective malice, and whether actual harm has occurred. Existing effective judgments have clearly established that malicious attacks detached from facts, fabrication of false information, and use of insulting language to denigrate brands all exceed the bounds of legitimate public oversight and constitute infringement, requiring perpetrators to bear legal responsibilities such as ceasing the infringement, compensating for losses, and issuing apologies.