"Joy of Life" advanced on-demand broadcast was ruled illegal, iQIYI reserves the right to appeal

Today (June 2), the Beijing Internet Court pronounced a verdict on the "iQiyi Joy of Life Advance On-Demand Case". The verdict stated that the "advanced on-demand" was illegal and constituted a breach of contract. The defendant, iQiyi, provided the plaintiff with the VIP membership rights that the plaintiff originally enjoyed for 15 consecutive days, and the defendant compensated the plaintiff for the loss of notarization fees of 1,500 yuan, and rejected the plaintiff's other claims.

Event review: In 2019, the hit TV series "Joy of Life" was launched on iQiyi. Some member users found that they needed to pay an additional "advanced on-demand" fee of 3 yuan per episode to watch the show.

I have already paid for my membership, so why should I pay again to watch the hit drama? The plaintiff believed that iQiyi's "advanced on-demand" violated his legal rights and interests, so he sued it in the Beijing Internet Court.

Now that the case of advanced on-demand viewing has been settled, industry insiders have expressed that no matter what kind of reminders are given, the content of the agreement must not reduce the rights of VIP service providers. Such reduction must be agreed to by consumers. Only consumers themselves have the right to decide whether to give up this right. The inappropriate practices of relevant video platforms have damaged consumers' right to know and related contractual rights.

Regarding the first-instance verdict of the iQiyi "Joy of Life" advance on-demand case, iQiyi said that the introduction of the advance on-demand mode is to meet the increasingly diverse content viewing needs of users. iQiyi said: "Thanks to the Beijing Internet Court of First Instance for not denying our exploration and attempts, and affirming that 'there is nothing wrong with the advance on-demand mode itself.'" In addition, iQiyi said that it will continue to improve its products and services to bring everyone a better experience. For other judgment information, it reserves the right to appeal.

Industry insiders pointed out that iQiyi still remained stubborn even after losing the lawsuit and showed no apology for its actions. With such an attitude, it is impossible to expect iQiyi to actively adjust, and it is tantamount to fantasy to put the interests of consumers first. Some media also said that video websites should follow commercial terms and not violate relevant laws and regulations. Once they arbitrarily change the contract, they will lose trust. It is not only ugly, but also a disguised way to drive away users.