HARMAN, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets is taking strict legal action against parties involved in the manufacture and sale of fake JBL and Infinity Car Audio products in India. HARMAN is the parent company for leading iconic audio brands including JBL®, AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, Lexicon®, MarkLevinson® and Revel®, amongst others.
Recent raids by HARMAN in three markets in Bengaluru have led to the discovery of four Car aftermarket dealers peddling counterfeit JBL and Infinity products. HARMAN’s investigation team and law enforcement officers seized over 500 counterfeits and infringed JBL and Infinity Car Audio products. The team discovered products in two places that were misusing the JBL mark as JBZ and IGL and selling counterfeit goods in packaging that was deceptively similar to that of JBL and Infinity. HARMAN successfully seized those infringed goods and the offenders have been subjected to appropriate legal procedure.
Vikram Kher, Vice President, Lifestyle, HARMAN India said, “Creating superlative customer experiences while maintaining our brand value is of utmost importance to HARMAN. We work diligently to provide customers around the world with iconic audio products of the greatest quality, maintaining our brand commitment to them. We take stern action against any offenders trying to mislead our customers and advise them to purchase HARMAN products from authorized dealers only, while being wary of counterfeit products in the market. HARMAN plans to carry out additional investigations to prevent the production and distribution of counterfeit goods in India.”
In 2022, HARMAN conducted a similar raid along with the law enforcement officers; and seized stocks of spurious JBL and Infinity consumer products, from car accessories shops; and manufacturing units located across Delhi.
Advisory to consumers: Easy ways to identify a counterfeit JBL and Infinity product
1. Like many premium goods, HARMAN’s products are being counterfeited and sold, usually at drastically reduced prices and diminished quality. Genuine JBL and Infinity products are made with high-quality materials and designed to deliver a one-of-a-kind listening experience.
2. The cosmetic details are not consistent with authentic JBL and Infinity products.
3. Inspect the packaging and logo placement/colour. Typically, the packaging is made of flimsy material, missing key details such as certifications, place of manufacture, address, and trademark/copyright information. Logo placement is slightly off and the colour does not match the genuine logo.
4. The package/product may be lightweight, smell of chemicals, or have chipped paint.
5. Research reputation of the seller. Read customer comments.
To identify an authorised seller, always look for authorised retailer/dealer certificate.
