Seen and heard: counterfeiting news in brief

L’Oreal vs India’s ShopClues, fake drugs in Cambodia, Malaysian bag bust and electrical counterfeits.

L’Oreal wins counterfeit case against Indian e-tailer

French luxury goods manufacturer L’Oreal has emerged victorious from a lawsuit against Indian e-commerce company Shopclues, which it accused if trademark infringement. A Delhi High Court has ruled that the online retailer must cease selling of L’Oreal products, make the details of the sellers of the goods public, and ensure any future sales are certified as genuine. L’Oreal India said in a statement that counterfeiting “is a serious issue faced by the beauty industry in India across online and offline platforms. This verdict will help us fortify our fight against online counterfeiting rampant on such marketplaces.”

Cambodia seizes 40 tonnes of illicit goods, mainly medicines

The Cambodian Interior Ministry’s Counter Counterfeit Committee (CCC) has announced that more than 40 tonnes of counterfeit goods were confiscated in Phnom Penh last week, including contraceptive pills, toothpastes, salves and antibiotics. A Khmer Times report notes that the goods were produced in Pakistan, Bangladesh, France, India and Germany. The operation netted 138 types of illegal goods and substandard medication in 10,465 packages from a pharmaceutical company in Sen Sok district.

Malaysia busts factory making fake bags including Gucci and Adidas

Malaysian officials have taken a factory producing large quantities of counterfeit handbags, luggage and backpacks offline, seizing thousands of trademark-infringing items. The facility in Subang is unusual, according to an article in the New Straits Times, as most counterfeits of this type of product are usually imported from overseas. The seized counterfeits were copies of prominent brands including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Nike, Adidas and Fila. 16 workers – reported to be from Bangladesh – have been taken into custody for questioning.

UK scheme raises awareness of electrical counterfeits

UK police have teamed up with electrical manufacturer BaByliss and trading standards to raise awareness of the risks of buying unsafe counterfeit electrical products in the build-up to the holiday season. In May 2018, a fire broke out at a flat in North West London, leading to around twenty people being evacuated. London Fire Brigade investigators believe an unbranded mobile phone charger caused the fire. The drive to encourage shoppers to buy genuine items from reputable sellers harks back to a report by charity Electrical Electrical Safety First earlier this year which found one in three UK residents had purchased a counterfeit online thinking it was genuine. Advice for consumers is available here.