EDG Esports Takes Legal Action Against Online Harassment From Streamers: Everything You Need To Know
EDG Esports takes legal action against online harassment targeting its Valorant players, fighting defamation with lawsuits and public apologies.
Image Via EDG Esports
In a surprising revelation, EDG's Esports Club announced on February 24, 2025 that it will be taking legal action against individuals who have been spreading false information, insults and harassment- primarily targeting its Fearless Contract (Valorant) division and players.
The club stated that these harmful comments and attacks on platforms like Huya Live, Weibo, Baidu Tieba, and Douyin have seriously damaged the club's reputation while simultaneously affecting its players.
Legal Steps Taken
To fight against this, EDG has hired legal professionals to start civil lawsuits against some of the people involved. The club specifically mentioned a few individuals in its official statement on Hupu:
Baidu Tieba users: 308761595, 419284687, 3176519665
Huya Live user: "I am very happy today qaq," a fan of the streamer cxy0714
EDG has also made it clear that it will keep taking legal action against anyone who continues to spread harmful content. They have also demanded public apologies from those responsible.
Legal Basis for EDG’s Action
EDG is likely using Article 101 of Chinese Civil Law, which states:
"Citizens and legal persons shall enjoy the right of reputation. The personality of citizens shall be protected by law, and the use of insults, libel, or other means to damage the reputation of citizens or legal persons shall be prohibited."
Notably, in China, truth alone is not always a sufficient defense in defamation cases, meaning individuals can still face legal consequences even if their statements are factually accurate.
Similar defamation laws exist in other Asian countries, such as South Korea and Japan, where reputational damage is taken seriously in legal proceedings.
Kangkang and Smoggy Targeted by Harassers
This situation has been going on for weeks, especially against Kangkang and Smoggy. Before the Bangkok event, Kangkang’s stream was flooded with toxic messages, with many people saying terrible things about him, it is also believed that Huya streamer cxy0714 was the streamer encouraging this behavior.
Unable to handle the repeated harassment, Kangkang finally snapped and spoke up for himself. However, instead of getting support, he received even more hate and was pressured to apologize in his next stream. Even after that, the harassment continued, moving to Smoggy’s stream as well.
EDG’s manager Aqua had already talked about this issue on Weibo, but the organization itself only made a strong statement after qualifying for the playoffs, which frustrated many fans.
The Need for Better Protection in Esports
EDG’s response shows how serious cyberbullying and defamation have become in esports, it's a norm in the scene. Chinese defamation laws provide opportunities for companies to take legal action for them to protect their reputation, EDG is using these laws to defend its players.
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However, fans have been raising concerns about this issue for a long while, raising the question as to why the club took so long to respond, were they waiting for EDG to qualify before deeming this as an issue worth investing in. This highlights a bigger problem in the esports scene-players need better protection from online harassment, and organizations need to act faster to support them.
