Chinese Actor Sues for 400,000 RMB over Internet Meme
Chinese actor Ge You is suing a company for using a popular internet meme that features his image.
Ge has ordered travel website eLong to remove the meme, publicly apologize and compensate him RMB400,000.
The Beijing-based company posted the meme on its microblog to promote its tourism and hotel reservation services. Ge argues that the company used the image without his permission, and that its use of the meme could imply he endorsed or partnered with the service.
eLong has already removed the photo and officially apologized to Ge in a statement on its Weibo last week (using a quote of his, no less).
You may have seen the meme in question on WeChat and other social networking platforms, which depicts an incredibly lazy couch potato. The image features Ge from a two-decade old show called I Love My Family. According to China Film Insider, the image resurfaced earlier this year and went viral, with many nicknaming Ge's pose the "the Beijing slouch.”
Variations of the meme feature captions such as "I don’t want to do anything” and “Wasting my life.”
Ge's case has been accepted by a court in Beijing's Haidian district and a decision is expected to be made soon.
[Images via China Film Insider, Weibo, Sohu]
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