Japan’s automakers unite to sue Chinese fake car part makers

Japanese newspaper Kyodo News reports that Japanese carmakers are planning to unite to initiate criminal proceedings against Chinese firms manufacturing fake car parts, accusing them of copyright infringement. The paper quoted an unnamed Japanese trading source. Twelve such incidents of copyright infringement are known to have occurred in China’s auto industry in the first half of the year said the source, who asked not to be identified.
These involved the production in Nanhai city in southern China’s Guangdong Province of automobile glass and rear-view mirrors. Products carried fake brand names of a number of Japanese automobile makers, including Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. Among 3,000 glass panels in one warehouse, 959 were confiscated after they were found to be fake. The extent of the damage to Japanese manufacturers is difficult to determine given the extent of the practice and uncertain local laws regarding copyright and trademark infringement. Japanese automobile manufacturers have been producing car parts in China since 1990.