Thousands of fake HARMAN consumer and professional
products seized in coordinated effort between investigators and law enforcement
in APAC region and Brazil
BANGKOK,
Thailand and RECIFE, Brazil—– HARMAN International, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on connected technologies
for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, today announced
that authorities in Thailand and Brazil recently carried out a series of
successful raids against numerous retail outlets and warehouses selling
counterfeit HARMAN consumer and professional audio products.
In Thailand,
authorities confiscated more than 250 counterfeit JBL Professional products and
175 counterfeit dbx products from a retail outlet and two related warehouses
and assembling places in Udon Thani. The fake products, including JBL Professional
speakers and multiple dbx products, were offered for sale through an online
website as well as a physical storefront. In two additional raids in Phuket, authorities
confiscated approximately 130 counterfeit JBL Professional speakers from 10
shops. In Brazil, authorities confiscated more than 1,600 JBL consumer audio
products, including portable Bluetooth speakers. The raids followed more than one
year of surveillance by a specialized IP law firm hired by HARMAN to combat
counterfeiting worldwide.
“HARMAN is
committed to protecting the integrity and image of its brands, and will not
hesitate to vigorously defend against the unauthorized use of its name, designs
and trademarks,” said Jaakko Alajoki, Legal IP Specialist, HARMAN. “As
demand for our products continues to increase, we will continue to partner and
cooperate with investigators and law enforcement agencies around the world to
safeguard our intellectual property, and ensure that consumers are protected
from counterfeit products.”
According to recent studies, the rise of counterfeiting
in the international trade market not only damages a company’s brand, it generates
serious risks to consumers who buy products with inferior materials and
construction. Counterfeiting also damages the ability of authorized
manufacturers, distributors and retailers to build successful businesses and
generate jobs by selling authentic, high-quality products.
Counterfeit goods often indirectly support
factories that engage in abusive labor practices, including the use of child
and slave labor, unsafe working conditions, excessive work hours, underpayment
of wages and poor environmental practices. Furthermore, studies show that
counterfeit sales are sometimes used to directly fund organized crime groups
and terrorist organizations.
As one of the leaders in the global audio
marketplace, HARMAN is actively working with official authorities worldwide to
take aggressive action to deter counterfeiters. To ensure consumers are
purchasing a genuine HARMAN brand and not a counterfeit, HARMAN encourages
consumers to be vigilant and only purchase products through authorized HARMAN
resellers.
ABOUT
HARMAN
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers
connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises
worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products,
enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet
of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles,
musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world.
More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN
audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile
devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all
platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of
approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In
March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co.,
Ltd.
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