Taiwanese Man Acquitted of Importing Counterfeit Earphones After Claiming Mistaken Delivery

A man in Taiwan, identified by the surname Cheng, has been acquitted of charges related to importing counterfeit goods after he successfully argued that the items were mistakenly sent to him.

Cheng, who operates a group buying service, faced charges under the Trademark Law for allegedly importing 86 counterfeit Apple earphones from China. Prosecutors accused him of intending to sell the infringing products, as the package was clearly addressed to his business with his name and address.

However, Cheng maintained his innocence, stating that he primarily sells affordable daily necessities and had never ordered high-value Apple earphones. He explained that he typically verifies orders only after receiving goods and that this particular Chinese vendor had a history of sending incorrect shipments. To support his claim, Cheng presented order statistics and chat records showing that his usual purchases did not match the seized items.

The court examined the evidence, including chat logs, which indicated that Cheng had ordered different, less expensive earphones around the time of the incident. The records also showed multiple instances where the Chinese manufacturer had mistakenly sent the wrong items due to packing errors. The manufacturer subsequently issued a statement admitting internal oversight and clarifying that the responsibility did not lie with the client.

Based on the principle that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty, the court found insufficient evidence to prove Cheng's intent to order or sell infringing products. The ruling stated that simply receiving a package addressed to his business was not enough to establish guilt. Consequently, Cheng was acquitted, while the 86 counterfeit earphones were confiscated as infringing items.