2025-02-04 17:47 China Times News
[Lin Yu-Ping]
From Changhua County, a 37-year-old man whose surname is Chuang is suspected of purchasing counterfeit Audemars Piguet “AP” octagonal bezel kits from overseas suppliers and modifying other watches with these counterfeit parts to sell them for profit through brick-and-mortar stores and online platforms. The Detective Team 1st of Intellectual Property Rights Investigation Division of Criminal Investigation Bureau received a tip-off and conducted a search and seizure operation at the end of last year to seize over a hundred counterfeit three-dimensional watches and modification kits, with an estimated infringement market value exceeding TWD $60 million. After questioning, the case was referred to the prosecution for investigation on charges of violating trademark laws.
The AP Royal Oak series watches are renowned for their iconic design, featuring an octagonal bezel secured to the case with eight exposed hexagonal screws. With prices starting in the millions NTD, these watches are highly sought-after by high-end consumers. This distinctive design has been registered as a three-dimensional trademark in Taiwan. However, the rights owner discovered that similar watch models featuring the unique octagonal bezel design had appeared on the market, with dials incorporating the registered trademark without authorization. In response, they filed a cross-border complaint with Intellectual Property Rights Investigation Division of Criminal Investigation Bureau in October last year.
Police investigations revealed that Chuang, who has a passion for collecting watches, purchased counterfeit AP octagonal bezel kits through platforms such as Taobao. He then installed these counterfeit bezels onto Casio and other watches before selling them through online platforms and brick-and-mortar stores at prices ranging from TWD10,000 to TWD20,000.
On November 27th last year, the police conducted a search at Chuang’s brick-and-mortar store in Changhua County, seizing 70 counterfeit trademark-infringing watches and 72 modification kits. Chuang defended himself, claiming that he was merely modifying watches and that consumers would not mistake them for genuine AP watches. However, after review by the relevant authorities, it was determined that using the three-dimensional trademark on similar products, such as watches, could mislead consumers into believing there was an authorized licensing, franchising, or other affiliation. Due to the potential for consumer confusion, the police proceeded to refer the case to the prosecution for further investigation in accordance with the law.
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