Dear Readers,
As many of you may know, I am Kornél Szabó, the co-founder of MIUI Hungary and the main editor of Hello Xiaomi blog. In the summer of 2013, exactly on 30 September, with the help and resent of the main admin (Wuna/Nana) editing the English forum made by Xiaomi we created MIUI Hungary official fan website under miuiandroid.hu domain. It took years until we could have miui.hu domain which reflected our fanaticism better to MIUI system and Xiaomi brand. After creating the forum, a growing demand for Facebook has been shown so we opened the possibility on Facebook as well for fans so as to provide instant news, development and help as well.
In 2016 the idea of creating a blog/website arose where we can advertise the brand with proper activity and in proper coverage and give better help for the media-eager audience. In May 2017 we launched our Hello Xiaomi website and Facebook site. At the beginning we were thinking of giving another name as for example Mi News. It might have been better.....after making several thousand articles, presentations, tests and so on...on Monday something happened that shocked the whole Hungarian Xiaomi audience.
On 20 August 2018, Fast Lane (Lane IP)
an England-based law firm which is specialised in prosecuting trade marks, copyright, designs, patents and domain names sent us a call saying that our website abuses the intellectual property of Xiaomi Inc. referring clearly to miui.hu domain and its content. The law firm disclosed in charge of Xiaomi Inc. that the content of the domain has to be deleted and it has to be suspended. We didn't do it since we are an official website as mentioned above or we have thought it in this way so far. An hour later we got a warning for Youtube that the above mentioned firm brought a charge against Hello Xiaomi channel (paralelly xiaomishop, too), saying that we used Xiaomi name illegally. We got 48 hours for redress. We tried to contact the English legal firm but we haven't got an answer yet.
Yesterday, that is 22 August 2018 at 7 pm Facebook told me that MIUI Hungary and Hello Xiaomi site also got a warning from the firm as they use MIUI and XIAOMI words illegally. Facebook banned these sites at once! Appeals can be made but it will be quite a long procedure and so will by Google. Facebook is looking forward to the mail from the prosecuting firm saying that the use of the name is legal so we cannot do more than that.
In case of Google, the situation is a bit different because I have the possibility to veto the deletion of the channel. I did it. So no Facebook site, no Youtube channel, that's why you cannot see the videos in the articles. If we don't get a positive answer, then we create a new channel under a totally different name so as nobody could pick at it and we start uploading the videos again. It will take a long time but we will once get to its end. We will also start a new Facebook site with other name.
I ask every Xiaomi/MIUI fan and our enthusiastic readers not to draw a parallel with the opening of the Hungarian Mi Store! The WayteQ is also not to blame for the whole story! They themselves were also shocked to hear the story, we spoke on the phone and they wrote in a facebook group that they also enquired about it from the mother company why these things happened. Thank you.
We will meet you in Lurdy shopping centre on Saturday, I will be there, we will be there, we are looking forward to meeting you. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about Xiaomi, MIUI, we will remain at your disposal!
