PUTRAJAYA: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry cracked down on the sale of suspected counterfeit branded goods involving a seizure value of RM600,000 at three separate locations in Johor Baru earlier this week.
KPDN Enforcement Director-General Datuk Azman Adam said the ministry’s Putrajaya Enforcement Division raided three premises on Monday 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 targeting 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 as reported by Bernama yesterday.
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.
The ministry 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.
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.
