A court in southwestern China’s Sichuan province has ruled against a company that ran a so-called pickup artist training program in a lawsuit launched by former students, local media outlet Red Star News reported Tuesday.

According to a photo of a court document included in the report, the Qingyang District People’s Court of Chengdu said that Langji Emotion had violated “social order and morality” with a course on how to pick up women and must thus refund the aggrieved students’ tuition fees. Four men had filed the lawsuit in October 2017, alleging that the company — then known as Langji Education — was not qualified to run the “emotional consultation” dating program it had advertised and was distributing “teaching materials” that included pornography, which is illegal in China.

Despite accusations of promoting male chauvinism, pickup artist courses and communities have gained popularity in China in recent years. But the rising trend has also begun to receive some pushback in the country, with one misogynistic organization getting kicked off social media platforms run by tech giant Tencent in 2018 and a self-proclaimed dating coach being arrested last month for peddling abusive advice online. (Image: VCG)