Chinese actor wins image rights lawsuit

Chinese actor Ge You has won a lawsuit against a travel company that used his image without permission.

A still of a situation comedy shows Ge You slouching on a sofa has gone viral on internet. [File photo: Legal Evening News]

The image used by the company was taken from the sitcom "I love my family," and shows Ge lazing on a couch.

The photograph has also become a Chinese Internet meme known as "Ge You-esque slouching" and is used by netizens to express their laziness.

The photo in which Ge You does "the Beijing slouch" has been edited by netizens in different ways. [File photo: Legal Evening News]

Beijing-based travel company eLong was found to use the photo and other Ge portraits for advertising a garment brand on a company social network account in July 2016, according to a statement by the Beijing Municipal First Intermediate People's Court on Saturday.

The company mentioned Ge's name several times by saying "Ge You-esque slouching" in photo captions, according to the statement.

After a complaint by the actor, eLong deleted the photos in August 2016 and issued an open letter of apology in December of the same year.

Ge believed the apology was another form of commercial promotion, and filed a lawsuit against the company at the Haidian District People's Court.

In the first instance, the Haidian court ruled that eLong must pay compensation of 75,000 yuan (11,842 U.S. dollars) and apologize to Ge for infringement of image rights.

The municipal court accepted eLong's appeal in January, but ultimately backed the Haidian court ruling.

Ge You is a household name in China. His films include "If you are the one," "Sacrifice" and "Be there or be square."