Patent Office Special Investigation Unit Cracks Down on Counterfeit Masks and More
[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Special Judicial Police of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (hereinafter referred to as Special Judicial Police) announced that starting from the 10th, they will conduct crackdowns on unfair competition acts and trademark infringements related to essential basic items for infectious disease prevention such as masks, hand sanitizers, and thermometers.
The crackdown is being promoted in response to the market atmosphere where counterfeit products or false labeling are used to make excessive profits and unfair gains by taking advantage of the shortage of these products caused by the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) situation.
The targets of the crackdown include ▲ acts of labeling that mislead the quality and performance of masks and hand sanitizers ▲ production and sale of counterfeit products by stealing trademarks of famous thermometers, masks, and hand sanitizers ▲ acts of selling products that have not registered intellectual property rights such as patents and designs as if they were registered products.
Under current law, unfair competition acts are subject to administrative investigation and corrective recommendations, and offenders may face imprisonment for up to 3 years or a fine of up to 30 million won. In cases of trademark infringement, offenders may be punished with imprisonment for up to 7 years or a fine of up to 100 million won.
The Special Judicial Police plan to strictly enforce the law according to legal principles if violations are detected during the crackdown.
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Choi Dae-soon, Director of the Industrial Property Investigation Division at the Korean Intellectual Property Office, stated, “We will strengthen monitoring and crackdowns to ensure that counterfeit masks and hand sanitizers do not threaten the health and safety of the public during the novel coronavirus emergency.”
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