Man jailed for infringing Japanese trademarks

A man has been sentenced to three years in jail and fined 50,000 yuan ($8,170) by Jinshang District People's Court for infringing upon registered trademarks after he was caught making and selling fake sake and other Japanese consumables, local media reported Wednesday.

At the beginning of this year, local police raided two apartments in a residential compound in Qingpu district, where they found a large number of empty bottles, trademark labels and packages that were used to make fake Japanese sake, vinegar, noodles, tea and other products, Shanghai Evening Post reported.

The man, surnamed Yu, rented the two apartments in March 2012. He used one for manufacturing and the other for storage.

Yu used to work for others in making fake wines, so he knew people who could sell him recycled sake bottles and other labels. He bought cheap white spirit, mixed it with water, and bottled it.

Yu sold the sake to wholesale merchants for 135 yuan per box. The merchants sold the fake sake to local Japanese restaurants and hotels for 10 times the wholesale price.

Yu also produced fake Japanese vinegar by mixing vinegar essence with water, and passed off ordinary tea and noodles as famous Japanese brands.

In less than a year, Yu's business revenue reached 650,000 yuan. He hired four relatives to help him do the business.

Yu told prosecutors that his products sold well as the labels appeared genuine.

Another four defendants, including the relatives Yu hired and a wholesale merchant, received prison sentences of between six months and two years.