MCI Confirmed Constant Application of Legal Penalties against the Violators of the Trademark System
The Ministry of Commerce and Investment announced that the Criminal Court in Riyadh had issued a verdict for imposing severe penalties on a commercial establishment involved in commercial fraud by storing, marketing and selling fake and counterfeit auto parts of famous brands. The defendant was accused of forging trademarks, registered with the Ministry for famous brands, such as (Toyota, AC Delco, Honda, Hyundai, Ford, BMW).
The Ministry stated that when the defendants had been convicted, the court issued a verdict against the owner of the establishment and the person responsible or in charge of the site, including a fine of one million riyals, and two year imprisonment for each of them, besides the closure of the establishment, as well as the confiscation and destroying the counterfeit parts, also deporting the foreign labor after the execution of the verdict, in addition to publishing the verdict in two local newspapers at the expense of the defendants.
Meanwhile, MIC would like to confirm its on-going endeavor to address and confront the violators of the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law and the Trademark System, by taking the necessary legal procedures against them.
The details go back when MCI inspection teams detected an establishment in Al Manakh quarter, south of Riyadh, involved in forging the auto parts cover and putting the counterfeit parts inside boxes bearing famous brands, then these fake parts are distributed and sold in the local markets, claiming that they are of high quality. The case was referred to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, to complete the formal procedures, which in turn referred the case to the Criminal Court, which sentenced the defendants and imposed the penalties against the violators.
During the inspection, MCI inspectors seized 160 thousand empty fake containers bearing famous brands, such as (Toyota, AC Delco, Honda, Hyundai, Ford and BMW), as well as 72 thousand of air and oil filters, where the country of origin was forged and replaced from “Made in China” to “Made in U.S.A., or Japan, or Korea, or Thai, according to the car model.
It is worth mentioning that Article 43 of the Trademark System stipulates that "Without prejudice to any further severe penalty, an imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year, and a fine not less than SR 50,000 and not exceeding one million Riyals, or either of them, shall be imposed on whoever forged or copied a registered trademark, in a manner to mislead the public, and anyone who would use a fake trademark intentionally, also whoever puts on his products or uses a trademark owned by others, in addition to anyone who offers, or sells, or possesses any products bearing fake or counterfeit trademark, to be sold unlawfully, while he is fully aware of that, also whoever offers any services under such fake trademark intentionally"
Meanwhile, MCI would like to confirm its constant application of legal procedures against anyone found guilty of commercial fraud, or whoever store, distribute, offer and sell counterfeit products, bearing fake trademark. The Ministry calls on all consumers to lodge their complaints through the Consumer Call Center (1900), or through the application of a Commercial Violation Report, via their smart phones.