Amazon and Prada score success against luxury counterfeiters
In a noteworthy case, a Chinese court recently sentenced a suspected seller of counterfeit luxury products. The sentence was largely based on information provided by Amazon’s Counterfeiting Crimes Unit (CCU) together with the Prada Group and other luxury brands, according to a recent Amazon report.
According to this, the defendant, following a guilty plea, was sentenced to three years imprisonment and a fine of around 25,000 US dollars (approx. 23,000 euros) and must surrender all revenue gained from the sale of counterfeit products. In addition, the illegal stock of counterfeit goods is also to be confiscated and destroyed.
According to Amazon, the information passed on to the authorities by the CCU mainly consisted of sales records of counterfeit products overseas and inventory records from fulfillment centers outside of China. According to Amazon, this makes the current verdict a landmark case, as criminal judgments in similar cases typically focus on counterfeit products seized in raids as evidence.
According to the company, experts from Amazon’s CCU had already discovered the attempted counterfeiting trade in 2021. Following internal investigations, the Chinese authorities were then involved. The success that has now been announced is ultimately primarily the result of good cooperation: “This successful result would not have been possible without the collaboration with law enforcement and luxury players such as the Prada Group,” said Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s CCU. The Prada Group also commended the collaboration.
“We are firmly committed to eradicating the sale of counterfeit goods to protect our brands and to ensure that our products meet the level of quality, craftsmanship and care that people expect from us. Through the collaboration with Amazon, we are making great progress in the fight against those who attempt to break the law and to negatively impact our customers.”
Francesca Secondari, Prada Group General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer
Amazon says they regularly work closely with brands and law enforcement agencies to take action against counterfeiters. The company has already reported massive successes in its annual brand protection report early this year.
Source:
Amazon
Article in cooperation with the Anti-Piracy Analyst
