Carina Lau slams Taobao, Tmall for faking Tony Leung's endorsement

Hong Kong actress Carina Lau has accused eCommerce platforms Taobao and Tmall of allowing unauthorised use of her Hong Kong actor-husband Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s portrait in health product promotions.

On Monday, Lau shared screenshots on Weibo from the "ENCARE overseas flagship store" on Tmall Global. The images show the store using footage of Leung and fellow celebrity Chen Luyu from a TV programme to promote its products.

Lau questioned whether Taobao and Tmall were condoning such infringing practices, asking: "Is deceiving consumers part of your marketing strategy?"

In response, ENCARE customer service team claimed the brand had sponsored the variety show Great Shows Are Great to Watch (大片很好看), which aired in January 2024 featuring Leung as a participant. The team said it held the rights to use the related footage and were in communication with the show's production team to clear up the "misunderstanding".

The production team later reposted Lau's Weibo post, confirming ENCARE was a sponsor and that an investigation was underway.

By Monday afternoon, the disputed product links and promotional images were removed. The following day, the store was marked as closed and was no longer searchable on the platforms.

A check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE on Weibo found that many netizens said they supported Lau for defending her rights. Others praised her for being bold and for challenging unfair practices.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Alibaba and ENCARE for a statement. 

In fact, this is not the first time such an issue has occurred. Back in July, Lau issued a legal statement on Leung's behalf accusing alcohol brand Haoayou Wine of misappropriating his likeness for false advertising. ​

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