Social Media: Unternehmer wehrt sich gegen Influencer – und erhält Morddrohungen

Udo Heuser, the CEO of the perfume company Nobilis Group, has faced severe harassment on social media, including death threats, after filing lawsuits against influencers and content creators promoting cheaper perfume alternatives. The controversy centers around the practice of selling "parfume dupes," or perfume replicas that mimic the smell of more expensive brands but at a significantly lower price.

These dupes are primarily created and marketed in the Middle East and sold worldwide through influencers, who often receive payment for endorsing them on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Heuser claims that the practice infringes on the trademark rights of the original perfume manufacturers.

Nobilis Group successfully sued several content creators, including Noel Deyzel, a popular TikTok influencer with millions of followers. Deyzel has been critical of the company's strategies and has compared the dupes to expensive brands in his videos. After his accounts were temporarily suspended on Instagram and TikTok for promoting the dupes, Deyzel began posting hate messages against Nobilis on a newly created account.

This led to a wave of boycott calls against the company's 80 brands, including Elizabeth Arden, Lacoste, Creed, and Xerjoff.

Heuser argues that the backlash against Nobilis is orchestrated and aimed at undermining its commercial interests, as the company has already won numerous legal battles against the use of dupes. He maintains that the threats against him are genuine and has requested police protection for himself and his family. Social media platforms like Instagram have since blocked many of the hateful messages, but Heuser insists that the internet cannot be left unregulated.