Selling counterfeit Sanrio products: S’pore company fined S$13,000, its director, 51, given 8 months’ jail

For selling more than 2,000 counterfeit Sanrio products at three of its stores, a company in Singapore was fined S$13,000, and its 51-year-old female director was sentenced to eight months’ jail.

The company, Gem Story Biz Pte Ltd, and its director, 51-year-old Tan Mei Qin, faced 75 charges under the Trade Marks Act, Lianhe Zaobao reported.

The prosecution proceeded with 14 of the charges on Jun. 15.

The remaining charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

No authorisation

In court documents seen by Mothership, the company has stores at Bukit Panjang Plaza and 18 Tai Seng, as well as a makeshift retail stall at Bugis Junction.

They were found to be selling products bearing Sanrio trademarks without authorisation.

In April 2023, a commercial investigation firm appointed by Sanrio investigated the company.

An investigator purchased products from the company, which were deemed counterfeit by Sanrio’s legal department.

Seized

On Jul. 21, 2023, officers from the police’s Intellectual Property Rights Branch (IPRB) obtained search warrants for the company’s three stores and launched an enforcement operation.

A total of 1,626 items, including face masks, mouse pads, hooks and reusable shopping bags, were seized.

The items featured popular Sanrio characters, such as Pompompurin, Hello Kitty, Kuromi, and My Melody.

Despite the first seizure, investigators discovered that the company continued selling counterfeit goods on Aug. 16, 2023, and in January 2024.

Authorities seized a total of 2,034 counterfeit items valued at approximately S$6,604.

Director

Tan had hired several employees to manage the stores and was responsible for sourcing products.

However, she failed to verify if the products were genuine and if they came from suppliers authorised by Sanrio.

Citing Tan’s role as the company's director, secretary and shareholder, the prosecution argued that she held full control over the company’s operations and decisions regarding the procurement, distribution and sale of the counterfeit products.

The prosecution further argued that despite the first enforcement operation, Tan continued to sell counterfeit goods and did not provide any restitution.

Tan’s previous eight months’ imprisonment in 2013 for a similar offence was also mentioned.

The prosecution sought a 10-month jail term for Tan and a S$14,000 fine for the company.