PUTRAJAYA: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) cracked down on the sale of suspected counterfeit branded goods involving a seizure value of RM600,000 at three separate locations in Johor Baru, Johor on Monday (June 15).
KPDN enforcement director-general Datuk Azman Adam said his party, through the Putrajaya Enforcement Division, raided three premises that offered various types of branded goods displaying the trademarks of several well-known brands without the permission of the registered trademark owners.
"This operation is the result of a month-long intelligence on traders who were found to be selling at major supermarkets, as well as being suspected of being distributors to other traders.
"The raiding team seized various types of goods suspected of using the trademark that was wrongly applied, such as clothing, handbags, wallets, belts, perfumes, as well as related business documents with a total value of the seizure estimated at RM600,000,” he said in a statement on Friday (June 19).
He said the results of the initial inspection and verification by the complainant’s representative found that there was reasonable cause to believe that an offence under Section 102(1)(c) of the Trademark Act 2019 [Act 815] had been committed, namely having in possession, custody, or control for the purpose of trading goods whose trademark was wrongly applied.
KPDN also detained four local individuals including the owner and caretaker of the premises to assist in the investigation because they are believed to be involved in the management of the business operations.
The case is being investigated under Section 102(1)(c) of the Trademark Act 2019 [Act 815] and if convicted, individual offenders can be fined a maximum of RM10,000 for each counterfeit item or imprisoned for up to three years, or both for the first offence.
For subsequent offences, a fine of up to RM20,000 for each item or imprisonment for up to five years, or both can be imposed.
Meanwhile, for companies or corporate bodies, the maximum fine is RM15,000 for each item for the first offence and increases to RM30,000 for each item for subsequent offences.
Azman said KPDN would continue to intensify enforcement operations and would not compromise with any party carrying out activities of selling or distributing counterfeit items that infringe intellectual property rights and mislead consumers. - Bernama
