Information and evidence provided by Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) and other luxury brands, including the Prada Group, to Chinese law enforcement has led to a counterfeit seller’s guilty plea to crimes related to the sale of counterfeit luxury products. Amazon has described the collaboration as “a unique and landmark case in the fight against counterfeiters and a turning point for Intellectual Property rights owners.” In this particular instance, a criminal referral from the CCU resulted in a criminal judgment primarily based on the evidence of overseas counterfeit sales records and fulfillment center inventory records outside of China and not on seized counterfeit products, explained Amazon. Criminal judgments are most typically issued when evidence of counterfeiting activities is seized through raids by law enforcement.
Amazon’s CCU first spotted the defendant’s attempted counterfeiting in 2021. Following internal investigations, the e-commerce giant provided a criminal referral to the relevant regional Chinese enforcement agency. The defendant has been sentenced to three years in prison, said Amazon. The court also ordered a $25,000 fine and to forfeit all revenues gained from the sale of counterfeit goods. In addition, the individual’s illicit inventory of counterfeits will be seized and destroyed.
Amazon works closely with brands and law enforcement all over the world to hold bad actors accountable. In the past year alone, its CCU sued or referred for investigation more than 1,300 criminals in the U.S., the U.K., across the EU and in China, the company claims.
