Notice of Successful Civil Lawsuit Ruling Against Four Chinese Firms That Produced and Sold Counterfeit Yamaha PA Analog Mixers in China

HAMAMATSU, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yamaha Corporation (hereinafter “Yamaha”) announced that the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court upheld the design right infringement suit brought by Yamaha against four companies* in China regarding the production and sale of counterfeit Yamaha PA analog mixers. During November and December 2019, the court announced rulings in favor of Yamaha on all counts versus the defendants.

Yamaha initiated the lawsuit asserting that the four companies had infringed on the design rights of Yamaha PA analog mixers MG16XU and MG12XU from February 2019 to October 2019.

Although the four companies that had engaged in the production and sale of the counterfeit products challenged the validity of Yamaha’s design rights and the assertion of infringement, the court ultimately ruled in favor of Yamaha in its decisions released during November and December. The four companies were ordered to cease the production, sale, and advertising of the infringing products and each company was ordered to pay damage compensation ranging from CNY140,000 to CNY160,000 (USD20,000 to USD23,000) as well as a portion of the court costs, amounting to approximately CNY10,000 (USD1,400). The court decision was confirmed in full when the companies did not submit an appeal within the designated appeal period.

Yamaha Corporation has long taken various measures against counterfeit products such as civil action, police raids, customs injunctions, and placed informative advertising in China and worldwide. Yamaha is adamantly resolved to confront any action that could damage the Yamaha brand or infringe on Yamaha intellectual property rights in order to protect its valued customers and stakeholders from low-quality counterfeit products and to preserve the reliability and trust in the Yamaha brands.

*Defendants

• Enping Glay Professional Audio Equipment Factory
• Enping Macadon Electronic Technology CO.,Ltd.
• Enping Yixing Electronic Equipment Co.,Ltd.
• Enping Yonglian Electronics Factory