Example 2: Case where a group selling counterfeit toner cartridges on Chinese e-commerce sites and messaging apps was exposed through coordination among public security authorities

A group selling counterfeit toner cartridges of JBMIA member companies through online shops on Chinese e-commerce sites and messaging apps was discovered. Subsequent on-site investigations revealed that the warehouse storing the counterfeit toner cartridges was in Huangpu, Guangzhou, China.

In September 2023, JBMIA requested the Zhengzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau, Henan Province, to launch a crackdown. The bureau coordinated with the Tianhe District Public Security Bureau, which has jurisdiction over Tianhe District of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, where some individuals associated with the group resided, as well as with the Huangpu District Public Security Bureau, which has jurisdiction over Huangpu District of Guangzhou, where the warehouse storing the counterfeit toner cartridges was located.  The enforcement and crackdown operations were jointly carried out, and the warehouse was successfully raided. As a result of this enforcement action, 4,833 counterfeit toner cartridges of five brands (Kyocera, Ricoh, Sharp, Konica Minolta, and Toshiba) were seized, and four individuals involved, including the person in charge, were arrested. 

The People’s Court of Guancheng Hui District, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, sentenced the person in charge and one individual to five years of imprisonment with a fine of 1.92 million yuan, and one year and two months of imprisonment with a fine of 50,000 yuan, respectively. The remaining two individuals received suspended sentences.