Tokyo court fines Amazon Japan ¥35 million over counterfeit products
The Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered Amazon Japan to pay ¥35 million in damages to a Japanese distributor of a medical device, ruling that the platform's failure to remove Chinese counterfeit products — which appeared on the site as if they were the same product — led to a loss in sales.
Two Kobe-based companies — Try and E, a manufacturer of pulse oximeters, and Excel Plan, which distributes the products — filed the lawsuit seeking ¥280 million in damages, but only Excel Plan was awarded damages. Pulse oximeters allow people to easily check their blood oxygen level.
Presiding Judge Yuko Shintani noted that although Excel Plan reported the counterfeit listings, Amazon Japan failed to investigate and instead deleted the entire product page. When Excel Plan protested further, Amazon dismissed the complaint, claiming there were issues with Excel's submission, according to the ruling.
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