Amazon and Prada tackle counterfeit crimes
Amazon's Counterfeit Crimes Unit, Prada, and other luxury brands provided evidence to Chinese law enforcement, resulting in a rare criminal judgment based on overseas counterfeit sales records and inventory, not seized counterfeit products. The information provided led to the counterfeiter's guilty plea. The landmark case is a turning point for Intellectual Property rights owners.
Amazon's Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) detected an attempt at counterfeiting by the defendant in 2021. After internal investigations, Amazon referred the case to the relevant regional Chinese enforcement agency. The defendant has been sentenced to three years in prison, will pay a $25,000 fine, and forfeit all revenue gained from the sale of counterfeit goods. The individual's illicit inventory of counterfeits will also be seized and destroyed.
Amazon employs automated protection technologies to prevent counterfeits from entering the store. In 2022, Amazon's systems prevented more than 800,000 bad actor attempts at opening new selling accounts. Additionally, more than 99% of listings suspected of being fraudulent or counterfeit are blocked or removed through Amazon's automated protections. Amazon remains committed to pursuing bad actors and working to maintain the integrity of the Amazon store. Amazon's CCU sued or referred for investigation over 1,300 criminals in the U.S., the UK, across the EU, and in China in 2022.
