German Court Rules Against TCL for "False QLED Advertising"
The German judiciary has reportedly ordered Chinese TV manufacturer TCL to halt advertising for some of its products, citing false advertising as QLED TVs.
According to industry sources on March 5, a German court ruled that the German subsidiary of TCL violated the Unfair Competition Prevention Act by advertising some products, including the QLED870 series, as QLED TVs, and ordered the company to stop such advertising. Previously, Samsung Electronics filed a lawsuit against TCL's German subsidiary at the Munich District Court I in April last year, demanding a ban on false QLED TV advertising.
Generally, consumers expect improvements in color reproduction due to quantum dot (QD) technology when purchasing QLED TVs. However, the court found that the quantum dot diffuser plate used in the relevant TCL models does not actually contribute to enhanced color performance. Advertising products that do not genuinely improve color reproduction as QLED TVs constitutes an act of unfair trade that misleads consumers.
QLED TVs utilize quantum dot technology, which allows for precise color expression and offers enhanced brightness and color reproduction compared to conventional LED TVs. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) defines QLED TVs as those that improve color reproduction by placing a quantum dot film between the blue-light backlight and the panel.
TCL has so far promoted these products as QLED TVs, claiming that a minute amount of quantum dots was applied to the diffuser plate, but this ruling acknowledges the deceptive nature of such advertising toward consumers. As a result, not only the models involved in the lawsuit but also other products using the same technology can no longer be advertised or sold as QLED TVs in Germany.
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This is not the first time TCL has faced litigation overseas. Last year, TCL ceased using its 'NXT FRAME' trademark in Europe following a German court ruling that it infringed on Samsung Electronics' 'The Frame' trademark. In addition, class action lawsuits regarding false QLED advertising are underway in places such as California and New York in the United States, and Hisense is also facing similar lawsuits in New York and Illinois.
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