It was the day before Christmas, on December 23rd, I was enjoying a day off and an "electronic detox" with friends on hiking. I didn't pull the phone out of my pocket almost all day, I was just glad that I was at least without hours for the Internet.
Until the evening, I turned on WiFi and connected to the Internet, that I'm going to check if there is a fan on Facebook. And that was a shock to me. Xiaomi Planet Facebook page was unavailable. I could not access it either via mobile phone or computer.
Early "Christmas present"
I started researching what the problem was and came across an email from Facebook that got me. Xiaomi directly asked Facebook to delete our page. Why? Due to trademark infringement. I received an early "Christmas present", which was a real surprise. Unfortunately, in the negative sense of the word.
Xiaomi has gradually started blocking all pages that contain their brand in the page name and do not have official permission to do so. It affected us and other similar Slovak sites. On further investigation, I came to the conclusion that Xiaomi has a similar tactic not only in Slovakia, but also in the Czech Republic and other European countries.
They have begun blocking sites that do not have permission to use their trademark, in this case the Xiaomi brand, in the name of fan pages.
Unfortunately, Xiaomi lawyers don't care if it's an e-shop that doesn't work with an official distributor in the country, whether it's a fraudulent site parasitizing on their behalf, or a community site that seeks to build a reputation for society and spread positive information, which is our case. They blocked almost everyone.
That's why you haven't been able to find Xiaomi Planet's Facebook page or Instagram for almost a month. Both profiles, where we had more than 42 fans together, are irretrievably gone and it is no longer possible to restore them. Of course, I tried to get permission from Xiaomi, I explained the whole situation to them, but without success.
I was struck by Xiaomi's attitude towards their communities, which bring them added value and without which they would not be able to expand to Europe so soon. It is such communities as our portal that popularized the brand even at a time when they focused only on the Chinese market.
I lost profiles that I built for almost 2 years and during that time I invested tens of thousands of euros in them. They were out of nowhere, in the blink of an eye and without any warning or challenge.
We are not giving up
Yes, that's right, we're not giving up. Life sometimes brings moments that are not positive, but you need to get through them, overcome them and move forward. Xiaomi Planet and my other sites have been not only my job but also my life for the last two years.
Personally, I have been a fan of the Xiaomi brand since 2013, when I first bought a smartphone of this brand. Xiaomi Mi 2S attached me to the brand and since then I've been pulling with them. That's why I decided to start the Xiaomi Planet community portal.
Given Xiaomi's steps, I'm also worried about the future of the site itself. That's why I had to make a big decision, which I'll let you know soon. Don't worry, Xiaomi Planet isn't going anywhere, it's just moving to another, safer place.
Like the Facebook page of China Planet
In the meantime, you can join our newly created Facebook group Xiaomi Planet and also like the China Planet Facebook page. It is in connection with China Planet that we have great news ahead of us. Let yourself be surprised.
Last but not least, I must thank the whole of my 9-member team, which, led by my brother Frederik, does a great job and brings quality content for all our websites on a daily basis.
I hope you will continue to follow us and together we will create the largest community around Chinese gadgets.
I wish you that the year 2021 will be better for you than the previous one and especially a lot of health, which is the most important thing at this time.
Christian,
Founder of Xiaomi Planet, Deal Planet and China Planet.