For the first time, Amazon and Brother have filed a joint lawsuit in European courts to dismantle a counterfeit toner ring.
E-commerce giant Amazon and Brother, a Japanese company known for its printers, consumables and labellers, announced on Thursday that they have taken legal action against 18 alleged members affiliated with a German-based counterfeiting ring, who tried to sell fake ink cartridges, presenting them to customers as genuine products.
A network organized to bypass Amazon and Brother checks
This action, the very first that Amazon has brought alongside a brand in Europe before the European civil courts, argues that the members of the counterfeiting network would have agreed in order to circumvent the verification systems of the online sales site and to Brother, to sell fake products.
It was Amazon’s Anti-Counterfeiting Unit (CCU) that was responsible for compiling the file. This international unit carries out investigations and legal actions aimed at defending the interests of the company, but also those of its customers, brands and partner sellers.
” We have zero tolerance for counterfeit products in our stores (…) The message is very clear: we are taking strong measures to ensure that bad actors are held accountable, wherever they are present. explained CCU boss Kebharu Smith.
Scammers Who Even Thought About Fake Holographic Labels
The 18 members of the network would have first bought original Brother ink cartridges, but empty. Then they filled them with non-genuine toner powder and then marketed them to pass them off as genuine Brother products. The ploy was well thought out since the scammers went to the trouble of adding fake holographic security labels, which are usually found on Brother cartridge packages.
In any case, this procedure rewards the efforts of Amazon which, as of 2021, had invested no less than 900 million dollars and recruited 12,000 employees to fight against fraud, counterfeiting and all other forms of abuse. The company already carries out multiple checks, such as the validation of partner sales counters, but this is not always enough.
In the past, Amazon’s anti-counterfeiting unit has successfully brought to justice groups or individuals who engaged in similar behavior by imitating brands such as Cartier, GoPro, Valentino, Salvatore Ferragamo and others. others.
Source: Amazon/Brother
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