Lee Min Ho Wins Lawsuit Against Cosmetic Company

Lee Min Ho recently won his lawsuit against one of the companies that have been using his name and face without authorization. The actor's legal team won a lawsuit against the makers of the Lee Min Ho Mayu Pack, which reportedly illegally used his image in the drama "Faith: The Great Doctor."

Because the facemasks were selling well in China, the company was attempting to find investors. The actor's agency, Starhaus Entertainment filed an injunction to protect itself from any secondary investment damages.

After the court ruling, Starhaus released a statement.

"According to the decision made by the Seoul Central Court, Lee Min Ho's name has been used to sell products that weren't signed for with the company. Therefore it is illegal and the companies have been banned from selling these products."

The agency explained that they had no idea what was in the products and worried might hurt someone who bought them based solely on the image of Lee Min Ho.

As the actor has had a global contract with the cosmetic brand Innisfree for the last six years, the agency stated that he could not possibly have signed a contract with another cosmetics company.

Lee Min Ho has been known for a while as the "sellout king," meaning that anything he models or endorses sells out very quickly. He has modeled for the outdoor brand Eider for five years.

There's a good reason companies might want to place his image on products sold in China. The Hallyu star has over 280 million followers on his Chinese SNS. LG Electronics chose Lee Min Ho as their model for targeting customers in China. Samsonite, the bag brand chose the actor to represent their Red Line Global model. According to the Korean media outlet Top Star news, after Samsonite signed Lee, their profits increased by 40 percent. Lee, who starred in the dramas "City Hunter," "Personal Taste," "The Heirs" and "Boys over Flowers," also helps to sell fried chicken in China. He is the spokesperson for Kyochon Chicken.

And it is not the first time that Lee Min Ho's image has been used illegally there. In 2014 a Chinese plastic surgery clinic illegally used his photo as the "after" in a "before and after" ad.

According to the media outlet hancinema.com, the actor also sued other Chinese cosmetic companies for selling products that use his image without permission.

Lee, who had his first film role in "Gangnam Blues," can soon be seen in the film "Bounty Hunters."