Police have arrested five people linked to the production of a sex tape purportedly taken inside a Uniqlo fitting room in Beijing, according to local reports.
Online searches for the Japanese clothing brand soared this week after the viral spread of the video apparently showing a young couple having sex in the Chinese capital's flagship store. The man and woman who appear in the video are among those arrested, China Daily Asia reported.
The 71-second video shows a man filming himself with a woman in front of a mirror. A Uniqlo store announcement can be heard clearly in the background welcoming customers, and advising them that fitting rooms are on the second and third floors, while cashiers are on the first.
Local police and China's highest web regulator are investigating whether it was a publicity stunt by Uniqlo. If found guilty, the company will face charges from 200,000 to 1 million yuan (around $32,000 to $161,00), and its license could be revoked for "spreading pornography," according to China Daily Asia.
The online carnival is abating, however, now that the Cyberspace Administration of China has chastised two of the country's main Internet companies for allowing the video to go viral. It had been circulating mainly on Sina Corp.'s microblogging site and Tencent Holding Ltd.'s popular mobile message app. The agency summoned senior management of the two companies for face-to-face reprimands Wednesday, and by Thursday the video was difficult to find.
Chinese law bans the manufacture of obscene material, while cyber rules ban its spread online.
Meanwhile, many Beijingers have been taking selfies with the store in the background.
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