LayarHijau – Chinese actress Zhao Liying (赵丽颖) is taking legal action in two separate portrait rights cases involving the operator of a popular short drama app in China and other companies. One case concerns the alleged unauthorized use of her face in AI-generated short drama content, while the other involves commercial products allegedly using her portrait without permission.
According to publicly available information from corporate data platform Qichacha (企查查), Beijing Bimo Liuxiang Technology Co., Ltd. (北京笔墨留香科技有限公司) recently received an additional court hearing announcement in a portrait rights dispute filed by Zhao Liying.
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The company operates Hongguo Short Drama (红果短剧), one of China’s popular short drama platforms. The defendants in this case include Beijing Bimo Liuxiang Technology, Beijing Douyin Information Service Co., Ltd. (北京抖音信息服务有限公司), and an individual identified as Shi Mou Lun (史某伦), whose full identity has not been disclosed.
The lawsuit concerns the alleged unauthorized use of Zhao Liying’s face through artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Several short dramas on the platform were reportedly suspected of using AI face-swapping and AI face-merging techniques to combine the actress’s facial features with fictional characters.
In addition, photographs of Zhao Liying were allegedly used as short drama cover images to attract viewers. The use of her likeness was suspected of exploiting her popularity to generate traffic and commercial benefits.
The case went to an online hearing at the Mentougou District People’s Court in Beijing on November 10, 2026. As of November 12, no court ruling had been announced.
The case also raises questions about platform responsibility for AI-generated short drama content. One of the legal issues is whether an AI-generated face that closely resembles and can be recognized as a particular individual falls under the protection of portrait rights.
Apart from the lawsuit involving the short drama app operator, Qichacha also recorded developments in another portrait rights case filed by Zhao Liying against two other companies.
One of the companies named in the case is Henan Weima Culture Industry Development Co., Ltd. (河南微马文化产业发展有限公司). Unlike the first case, which concerns AI-generated content, this lawsuit involves commercial products allegedly using Zhao Liying’s portrait without authorization.
In the second case, Zhao Liying asked the court to order the defendants to stop manufacturing and selling the products in question and cease all alleged infringing activities. She also requested a public apology from the defendants.
Furthermore, she is seeking compensation for economic losses and reasonable expenses incurred in protecting her rights, amounting to 810,000 yuan (approximately US$113,000).
The court is scheduled to hold a public hearing at 9:30 a.m. on the third day after the evidence submission period expires. However, the available information does not specify the exact hearing date.
The two cases therefore involve different alleged violations. The first concerns the suspected use of Zhao Liying’s face in AI-generated short drama content, while the second involves the alleged unauthorized use of her portrait on commercial products.
Both cases remain in the legal process. The allegations raised by Zhao Liying should not be treated as established violations unless and until the court issues its rulings.
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