Latest news with #ExcelPlan
The Mainichi
26-04-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Device seller demands Amazon Japan step up after 'outrageous' delisting of genuine item
TOKYO -- A medical device sales company whose product was removed from the Amazon Japan website demanded the e-commerce giant to "take responsibility precisely because of its significant influence on the market," following an April 25 ruling by the Tokyo District Court ordering the latter to pay damages. In August 2021, Takahiro Fujii, 56, then president of the Kobe-based Excel Plan Co., had a gut feeling that an item he saw on Amazon "must be fake." Excel Plan held exclusive rights to sell pulse oximeters manufactured by a firm in Kobe. The device, which measures blood oxygen saturation, was used to monitor the health of coronavirus patients. While Excel Plan's genuine product was priced at 25,740 yen (about $180), a nearly identical counterfeit version was being sold for only 2,200 yen (around $15). There were many complaints from consumers who received these fake items, saying "the products were made in China." Despite contacting Tokyo-based Amazon Japan G.K. to request the removal of the counterfeit listing, the situation remained unchanged. Instead, Excel Plan's own product was delisted and disappeared from the site without any explanation. Sales through Amazon, which had been around 100 million yen (roughly $695,000), plummeted to approximately 610,000 yen (some $4,200) just two months later. "This is outrageous!" Fujii recalled thinking. Refusing to accept the situation, he sought relief through the courts. The April 25 ruling criticized Amazon for failing to conduct a proper investigation, stating that there was "intent or at least gross negligence," and called on platforms to implement measures against counterfeit goods. At the April 25 press conference, Fujii stated, "There are many sellers like us who are struggling because counterfeit goods aren't being removed. If fake products stop circulating, it would benefit consumers as well. We hope the company takes this seriously and makes a change." Takaaki Someya, the attorney representing the plaintiff company, said of the court's decision, "Sellers are compelled to use platforms that many consumers use. The demand for proper operation is highly commendable."
Japan Today
25-04-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Amazon Japan ordered to pay ¥35 mil for allowing listing of fakes
A Japanese court on Friday ordered the Japanese unit of online retail giant Inc. to pay 35 million yen in damages for failing to take measures to stop sellers from offering fake products on its platform. The focus of the trial at the Tokyo District Court was on the degree of obligation Amazon Japan G.K. has to police listings, and how much effort it must make to identify and remove counterfeit goods. Medical equipment manufacturer Try and E Co and its distributor Excel Plan Co sought 280 million yen in damages against Amazon Japan, claiming that their sales declined due to the availability of counterfeit items. Presiding Judge Yuko Shintani said Amazon is obliged to take effective measures against counterfeits, noting that it failed to stop listings of such products despite being made aware of them. Try and E and distributor Excel Plan, both based in Kobe, filed the lawsuit over pulse oximeters for measuring blood oxygen levels. Only Excel Plan was compensated. "The ruling was a landmark in terms of acknowledging the obligation to build an appropriate (authentication) system, as businesses practically have no other option but to use platforms such as that of Amazon," a lawyer representing the plaintiffs said. The pulse oximeters concerned are developed and manufactured by Try and E, and distributed exclusively by Excel Plan. According to the suit, Excel Plan was selling a pulse oximeter on Amazon in 2021 while another seller listed a counterfeit item on the same page at about 10 percent of the price of the genuine product. Since the Amazon system promotes goods with the lowest price, the fake product was more visible on the site, it said. Excel Plan reported the situation and requested Amazon take appropriate action, but the page listing the genuine oximeter was deleted and the company was unable to sell it, according to the suit. © KYODO
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon Japan fined $244,000 for failing to remove Chinese counterfeit products
April 25 (UPI) -- Amazon Friday was ordered by Tokyo District Court to pay $244,167.02 to a Japanese medical device distributor for failing to remove Chinese counterfeit products from the platform. Pulse oximeters distributor Excel Plan reported the counterfeit products listed on Amazon in Japan, but according to Judge Yuko Shintani Amazon failed to investigate and instead removed the entire product page. That action, Excel Plan argued, hurt their ability to sell the genuine devices that measure blood oxygen levels. Shintani ruled Amazon Japan's response was "indicative of willful misconduct, or at the very least, gross negligence." The company argued that a "shared listings" Amazon feature put Chinese counterfeit pulse oximeters selling for roughly one-tenth the price side-by-side with real products. That, they argued in court, harmed both sellers and manufacturers of the real products. "The ruling was a landmark in terms of acknowledging the obligation to build an appropriate (authentication) system, as businesses practically have no other option but to use platforms such as that of Amazon," An attorney representing Excel Plan and oximeter maker Try and E said. Try and E made the oximeters but that company was not awarded any money in the court ruling. When Amazon removed the page listing the genuine oximeter, Excel Plan said the company could not sell the genuine oximeters while Chinese counterfeits were still available. Excel Plan asserted that Amazon's system of promoting the lowest priced products led to fake products being more visible, harming the company's ability to sell genuine products.
25-04-2025
- Business
Amazon Japan Ordered to Pay Damages for Mishandling Counterfeits
News from Japan Apr 25, 2025 17:47 (JST) Tokyo, April 25 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered Amazon Japan to pay 35 million yen in damages for not properly dealing with counterfeit pulse oximeters from China that were listed on the company's e-commerce website. Try and E Co., which makes genuine pulse oximeters, and Excel Plan Co., which sells the products, had sued Amazon Japan, demanding some 280 million yen. On Amazon's website, multiple sellers of the same product are listed on one page. Presiding Judge Yuko Shintani said that Amazon Japan deleted the whole product page listing Try and E products and counterfeits without conducting research, following a report from Excel Plan about the counterfeits. Amazon Japan also failed to respond to a protest to its action, claiming that Excel Plan's statement was flawed, according to the ruling. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Times
25-04-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
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.
