Fast food chain KFC announced Monday that it has lodged a lawsuit against three companies based in China that were allegedly responsible for spreading rumors that the company uses genetically modified six-winged, eight-legged chickens, according to the BBC.
KFC is demanding an apology from these firms—Shanxi Weilukuang Technology Company Ltd., Taiyuan Zero Point Technology Company and Yingchenanzhi Success and Culture Communication Ltd.— for spreading false information, as well as compensation for damages in the amount of $242,000. The chicken chain is also seeking to put a stop to infringements committed by its competitors.
The case was filed in Shanghai Xuhui District People's Court. The defendants did not release any statement to address the complaints.
"This not only seriously misled consumers, but also hurt our brand," said Qu Cuirong, the CEO of KFC in China, according to the BBC.
KFC has over 4,600 stores in China and is the largest chain restaurant in operation in the region, according to Newsweek.
"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," Cuirong said, according to The Telegraph.
Two years ago, Chinese authorities stepped up their campaign against spreading rumors and unruliness online, particularly in the social media app WeChat, where banners are easily displayed for users to see. Marketers on the Internet have been convicted in China for posting false information about the competition, but critics of the government said that this was the Communist Party's way of suppressing freedom of speech.
