KFC Sues Chinese Companies Spreading Mutant Chickens Rumors Online

--FILE--Pedestrians walk past an advertisement for KFC of Yum Brands in Nanjing city, east Chinas Jiangsu province, 1 August 2014. Shanghai has ordered McDonalds Corp. and other foreign restaurant chains to disclose... --FILE--Pedestrians walk past an advertisement for KFC of Yum Brands in Nanjing city, east Chinas Jiangsu province, 1 August 2014. Shanghai has ordered McDonalds Corp. and other foreign restaurant chains to disclose their product sources as the city seeks to regain consumer trust after a food scare sparked safety concerns in the country. Yum! Brands Inc., Burger King Worldwide Inc., Carls Jr., Burger King International Inc. and Ting Hsin International Groups Dicos were among companies asked to post supplier information on their website by the Shanghai Municipal Food and Drug Administration, according to a posting on the citys official microblog. Shanghai authorities required greater transparency after they ordered an investigation last month into a food supplier accused of selling expired meat, and as scandals such as fox meat sold as mutton have rocked the city in the last two years, raising fears of unsafe products in the country. MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

BEIJING (AP) — Restaurant operator KFC said Monday it filed a lawsuit against three companies in China whose social media accounts spread false claims about its food, including that its chickens have eight legs.

The case filed by China’s biggest restaurant operator comes as the government intensifies a campaign to clean up rumors on social media. Internet marketers have been convicted of trying to manipulate online sentiment on behalf of clients by posting false information about competitors or deleting critical posts.

In an announcement posted on its Chinese website, KFC said one of the best-known fake rumors was that chickens used by the company are genetically modified and have six wings and eight legs.

KFC is demanding 1.5 million yuan ($242,000) and an apology from each of three companies that operated accounts on the popular mobile phone app WeChat. It is also seeking an immediate stop to their infringements. Shanghai Xuhui District People’s Court has accepted the case, according to a press officer who would only give her surname, Wu.

KFC’s China CEO Qu Cuirong said in a statement that it was hard for companies to protect their brands against rumors because of the difficulties in collecting evidence. “But the stepped-up efforts by the government in recent years to purify the online environment, as well as some judicial interpretations, have offered us confidence and weapons,” she said.

The companies being sued were named as Shanxi Weilukuang Technology Company Ltd., Taiyuan Zero Point Technology Company and Yingchenanzhi Success and Culture Communication Ltd. in Shenzhen city. Calls to numbers listed for the companies either rang unanswered or were not valid.

Authorities launched a renewed campaign two years ago to clean up what they called online rumors, negativity and unruliness. Critics say the campaign was largely aimed at suppressing criticism of the ruling Communist Party. Commentaries in state media have argued that a cleanup was needed.

KFC has more than 4,600 restaurants in China.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: