38 million in losses: fake gadgets from China were sold all over Ukraine
6 May 05:12
The Bureau of Economic Security, together with the cyber police, exposed a scheme in Khmelnytsky region to supply counterfeit products from China, which were sold under the guise of the original through a website and Telegram channel throughout Ukraine. This was reported by the BES press service, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
According to the investigation, a group of people organized the illegal supply of mobile accessories that were labeled with trademarks and industrial designs of a well-known international company. These included chargers, cables, headphones, and smartwatches.
The products were ordered from Chinese manufacturers and sold in Ukraine as original. This caused more than UAH 38 million in losses to the trademark owner.
As part of the pre-trial investigation, law enforcement officers conducted five searches in Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr regions. As a result, 1500 smartwatches, over 2900 headphones and 36 chargers were seized.
One of the participants of the scheme was served a notice of suspicion under Part 3 of Art. 229 (illegal use of a trademark for goods and services that caused damage on an especially large scale) and Part 3 of Art. 177 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal use of an industrial design).
The entrepreneur pleaded guilty and settled the issue of compensation for damages. Two indictments have already been submitted to the court.
The BES reminds that as part of strengthening the protection of intellectual property, a contact center for right holders has been established to facilitate a faster response to counterfeiting.
