Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (YRC) is claiming a second successful action against counterfeit versions of its Advan Racing-brand aluminum wheels in China.
Yokohama filed a complaint last year with the Foshan Public Security Bureau, along with information about a distributor of counterfeit Advan Racing wheels in Foshan and Guangzhou, the company said.
The distributor sold the counterfeit wheels via Internet shopping sites and retail stores outside Yokohama's official distribution channels, the tire maker said.
Acting on the information provided by Yokohama, the Foshan authorities raided the distributor's offices, seizing more than 900 counterfeit wheels, the company said.
The distributor was found guilty of counterfeiting on March 29, 2018, before the People's Court of Foshan, and sentenced to a fine and imprisonment, according to Yokohama. The tire maker did not disclose the distributor's name, the amount of the fine or the term of imprisonment.
The first case of Chinese counterfeiting of Advan Racing wheels was in 2014, according to Yokohama.
"Yokohama Rubber remains resolute in its stance against the infringement of intellectual property rights, including the sale of counterfeit goods," the company said.
Yokohama Advan Wheel Design is a Japan-based division of YRC dedicated to designing and producing high-end wheels via various methods, including mold form forging, spin forging and flow form casting.
Mackin Industries Inc. of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., is the U.S. importer of record for the Advan wheel product line.
