China upholds guilty verdicts in fake Yamaha case

A court in China has upheld three guilty verdicts in a court case involving three Chinese companies that were accused of counterfeiting Yamaha PA analogue mixers.

Yamaha reported the three companies that were manufacturing and selling counterfeit versions of the MG16XU mixer and other models within China to law enforcement in July 2023. An investigation resulted in the seizure of a large number of counterfeit products.

In May 2024, individuals responsible for the companies – manufacturer Enping Ai Bei Duo Audio Equipment, distributor Wan Ge Trading and logistics firm Guangdong Huaqiu Wuzhou Supply Chain Technology – were indicted by Chinese law enforcement and "fully admitted to the facts regarding the manufacture and sale of counterfeit products," said the Japanese company in a statement.

The Zhongshan Intermediate People's Court of Guangdong Province ordered the cessation of the manufacture and sale of counterfeit products, and five defendants from the three companies were sentenced to imprisonment (three of which were suspended), along with fines ranging from $6,800 to $850,000.

Two of the defendants appealed the initial judgment, but that has now been upheld and the penalties finalised.