LayarHijau – Chinese actress Dilraba Dilmurat has won her lawsuit against Guangzhou Wangke Operation Management Co., Ltd. over infringement of her portrait rights. The company was found guilty of using Dilraba’s name and photo without authorization to promote its milk tea brand “Deng’s Grandma Handmade.”
The Beijing Internet Court ordered the company to pay 50,000 yuan (approximately US$7,000) in compensation. However, the company has yet to comply with the ruling. Following Dilraba’s request for enforcement, the court issued a consumption restriction order against the company and its legal representative, Huang Sen.
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The case gained massive attention after it was reported by the media on October 11. It quickly rose to second place on Weibo’s trending search list, with related topics read over 100 million times. The comment sections were flooded with messages of support for the actress, with many users posting the phrase “Support Dilraba Dilmurat’s rights protection.”
According to Metropolitan Express and NetEase (via World Journal), the case originated from Guangzhou Wangke’s (formerly known as Guangzhou Grandma’s Handmade Operation Management Co., Ltd.) unauthorized use of Dilraba’s name, image, and likeness to promote its “Deng’s Grandma Handmade” milk tea brand.
Not only did the company use misleading labels such as “Dilraba’s same style” and “endorsed by Dilraba” in its stores, it also promoted the brand across social media platforms — intentionally creating the illusion that the actress was affiliated with or endorsed the business.
Dilraba’s photo appeared in the brand’s promotional materials without her consent, serving as key evidence in the lawsuit. Ironically, this is not the first time the brand has been involved in legal trouble. Its subsidiary, Deng’s Grandma Handmade, was previously sued for trademark infringement and unfair competition and was ordered to pay 650,000 yuan in damages.
After the latest ruling, many netizens praised Dilraba’s move as a “textbook example” of protecting celebrity portrait rights. “This is exactly how stars should fight against misleading promotions,” one comment read, garnering tens of thousands of likes on Weibo.
