Ukrainian Court Fines Calgon Water Softener Counterfeiters

On August 7, 2013, the Simferopol District Court, in the southern Crimea region of Ukraine, imposed fines in the amount of approximately EUR 3,000 (USD 4,000) on two members and a fine of EUR 3,600 (USD 4,900) on the leader of an organized group that produced and sold counterfeit water softener Calgon.

In addition to imposing fines, the court prohibited the three defendants from engaging in business activities for two years.

Since the fall of 2005, the defendants manufactured the fake water softener in a rented apartment in Simferopol by mixing a fabric dye called Sinjka and laundry powder called Lotos, produced in Ukraine. They used polymer film and a heat gun to make the packaging.

During the search of the premises in 2007, more than 14,000 counterfeit packages of water softener weighing half a kilo were found and seized.

The request for compensation of material damages in the amount of EUR 68,000 (USD 92,000) filed by the trademark owner Reckitt Benckiser Household and Healthcare Ukraine was partially sustained by the court, which awarded compensation in the amount of approximately EUR 2,300 (USD 3,100).

Prepared by: Maya Kryvoshei

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Source: Ukraine Alliance Against Counterfeiting and Piracy