Johor bahru: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) cracked down on the sale of suspected counterfeit branded goods involving a seizure value of RM600,000 at three separate locations in Johor Bahru, Johor on Monday (June 15).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, KPDN enforcement director-general Datuk Azman Adam stated that the operation was carried out by the Putrajaya Enforcement Division. The raids targeted three premises offering various branded goods with trademarks of well-known brands without permission from the registered trademark owners. The operation followed a month-long intelligence on traders selling at major supermarkets and suspected of distributing to other traders.

The raiding team confiscated various goods suspected of misusing trademarks, including clothing, handbags, wallets, belts, perfumes, and related business documents. The total value of the seizure was estimated at RM600,000. Initial inspections and verification by the complainant's representative suggested a violation of Section 102(1)(c) of the Trademark Act 2019 [Act 815], which involves trading goods with wrongly applied trademarks.

KPDN detained four local individuals, including the owner and caretaker of the premises, to assist in the investigation. The case is being investigated under Section 102(1)(c) of the Trademark Act 2019 [Act 815]. If convicted, individual offenders face fines up to RM10,000 for each counterfeit item or imprisonment up to three years, or both for the first offence. Subsequent offences may result in a fine of up to RM20,000 for each item or imprisonment up to five years, or both.

For companies or corporate bodies, the maximum fine is RM15,000 for each item for the first offence, increasing to RM30,000 for each item for subsequent offences.

Azman emphasized that KPDN would continue to intensify enforcement operations and would not compromise with any party involved in selling or distributing counterfeit items that infringe on intellectual property rights and mislead consumers.