(Yicai) Nov. 17 -- Chinese internet giant ByteDance has filed a lawsuit against a former intern accused of intentionally disrupting its artificial intelligence model training system, demanding over CNY8 million (USD1.1 million) in compensation.

The owner of Douyin and TikTok is seeking CNY8 million for alleged company infringement losses, CNY20,000 (USD2,760) for reasonable expenses, and a public apology, China News Service reported today.

The Beijing Haidian District People’s Court accepted the case on Nov. 25.

Between June and July, the former intern, who worked in the commercial products and technology department, allegedly tampered with code to disrupt model training tasks, reportedly motivated by frustration over resource allocation, the Beijing-based company wrote in a report on Nov. 5.

ByteDance terminated the intern's contract and reported the case to the Sunshine Integrity Alliance and Enterprise Anti-Fraud Alliance, as well as to the intern's university. The alliance, whose members include Alibaba Group Holding and Midea Group, serves as a platform designed to combat corporate fraud and enhance compliance.

Editor: Emmi Laine