Samsung Electronics Taiwan (SET) has come under investigation by the Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission over allegations the company’s marketing team slandered products from other companies, primarily on struggling Taiwanese competitor HTC, on various Taiwanese gadget websites and forums. The team were alleged to have posted anonymous comments that criticized HTC’s smartphones and promoted Samsung’s products instead.
The posts, the majority of which were posted last year, were compiled in a paperwork that allegedly was part of the team’s marketing strategy. The documents were revealed on a website called TaiwanSamsungLeaks, and details each anonymous post made by the marketing team. Examples of the posts include how a user’s girlfriend’s HTC One X constantly crashes, and how the Galaxy Note is superior to HTC’s One XL.
In a statement, Samsung Electronics Taiwan admitted to the “unfortunate incident”, which happened as a result of “insufficient understanding of (Samsung’s) fundamental principles”. SET also stated that the company will “cease all marketing activities that involve the posting of anonymous comments…all SET online marketing activities will be fully compliant with the company’s Online Communications Credo”.
HTC has responded by stating that the company is considering “appropriate action” against Samsung.
(Source: The Register, Ars Technica)
