A major raid of retail shops at Pantip Plaza has resulted in the seizure of more than 100 counterfeit  CANON battery grips and CANON camera batteries, worth a total of THB 100,000.

The raid, which took place on November 1, 2012, was led by representatives of Canon Kabushiki Kaisha in collaboration with police officers from the Economic Crime Division, led by Pol. Lt. Col. Chaiwat Pradabthai, and officers from the Department of Intellectual Property, under a search warrant issued by the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court.

The owners of the shops were charged with trademark infringement offenses, which carry a maximum penalty of four years of imprisonment or a fine of THB 400,000, or both.

“Canon is strongly committed to stamping out the presence of fake CANON battery grips and CANON camera batteries in the Thai market,” said Mr. Cyril Chua, partner of ATMD Bird & Bird, Singapore, the representative of Canon. “This raid was the latest in our ongoing efforts to ensure that Thai consumers are not harmed by the criminal activities of infringers, as fake batteries can overheat, for example, causing damage to users.”

Canon plans to coordinate with the Economic Crime Division to continue to undertake more raids against companies and retail shops in Bangkok and upcountry to eliminate all counterfeit products in the Thai market.

Tilleke & Gibbins, the Thai law firm advising Canon, expressed support for this important raid action. “We are pleased that police have acted out of concern that consumers could be deceived about the origin and quality of these questionable products,” said Darani Vachanavuttivong, co-managing partner and managing director of the firm’s intellectual property group. “It is essential that the Royal Thai Police sustain this campaign against the infringers who produce and distribute these dubious products, and the authorities can count on full support from Canon and Tilleke & Gibbins for these enforcement efforts.”