Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit & Prada celebrate victory against global counterfeiting

Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU), together with the Prada Group and other luxury brands, have won a landmark case in the global fight against counterfeiters.

In a groundbreaking decision, a Chinese court ruled in favor of Amazon’s CCU and the Prada Group, basing the counterfeiter’s guilty plea primarily on overseas sales data related to counterfeit luxury products

This case signifies a pivotal moment for Intellectual Property rights, setting a precedent where a criminal judgment was primarily based on overseas sales data and inventory records from Amazon’s CCU and the Prada Group outside of China rather than on seized counterfeit goods.

Traditionally, criminal judgment relied on evidence from law enforcement raids, but in this case, the court predominantly used information provided by Amazon and the Prada Group, together with other luxury brands.

“The guilty plea is a significant win for Amazon’s CCU, but more importantly, it’s a win for all of those who share our commitment to tackling the industry-wide issue of counterfeiting,” said Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s CCU in a statement.

“This successful result would not have been possible without the collaboration with law enforcement and luxury players such as the Prada Group. We are grateful for their support and look forward to continuing to take the fight against counterfeiters.”

The case dates back to 2021, when Amazon’s CCU identified the defendant’s counterfeiting efforts and, after internal investigations, referred the case to the pertinent Chinese Public Security Bureau (PSB). The defendant received a three-year prison sentence, together with a 25,000 US dollar fine, and must relinquish all proceeds from counterfeit sales. All counterfeit inventory from the defendant has been seized and will be destroyed.

Joint efforts between Amazon’s CCU and the Prada Group lead to international counterfeiter’s guilt plea

Francesca Secondari, Prada Group general counsel and chief legal officer, said in a statement: “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.”
The ruling comes as Amazon continues to collaborate with brands and law enforcement worldwide to address these counterfeit traders.

The US company’s advanced protection technologies prevented over 800,000 fraudulent account openings and blocked or removed 99 percent of suspicious listings in 2022. In addition, Amazon’s CCU took legal action or initiated investigations against 1,300 individuals across the US, UK, EU, and China that same year.