Notice of Successful Civil Lawsuit Ruling Against a Manufacturer and Distributor of Counterfeit Yamaha PA Analog Mixers in China
Yamaha Corporation (hereinafter "Yamaha") announces that the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court (hereinafter "the Court") upheld the design right infringement suit brought by Yamaha against a Chinese manufacturer and distributor of counterfeit Yamaha PA analog mixers, Enping Jinchang Electronic Factory (Enping, Guangdong Province, ELM brand, hereinafter "the Defendant"). In October 2023, the Court announced a ruling in favor of Yamaha versus the Defendant.
Yamaha initiated the lawsuit asserting that the Defendant had infringed on the design rights of Yamaha PA analog mixers MG16XU and MG12XU in September 2022.
Although the Defendant challenged Yamaha's assertion of infringement, the Court ultimately ruled in favor of Yamaha in its decision released in October 2023. The Defendant was ordered to cease the production, sale, and advertising of the infringing products and was ordered to pay damage compensation of CNY140,000 (USD20,000) as well as a portion of the court costs, amounting to approximately CNY15,000 (USD2,000). The court decision was confirmed when the Defendant did not submit an appeal within the designated appeal period.
Yamaha Corporation has long taken various measures against counterfeit products such as civil action, crime detection, customs injunctions, and placed informative advertising in China and worldwide. In China, Yamaha has filed lawsuits against more than 10 companies that produce and sell counterfeit PA products for infringement of its trademark or design rights, including this lawsuit. In every court case, Yamaha's claims were accepted, and the production and sale of low-quality counterfeit products were halted. 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.