Counterfeit ContiTech Drive Belts Seized and Shredded

In ContiTech’s second recent success against product piracy, roughly 19,500 counterfeit drive belts and packages with ContiTech labelling were seized by customs authorities in Malta and then destroyed upon release by the courts. The counterfeits entered the Mediterranean country along with other automotive aftermarket fakes via container shipment. “To underscore our determination to rigorously pursue product piracy, we took legal action in this matter at our own expense and had the fakes destroyed,” said Jürgen Grefe, head of automotive aftermarket sales in the ContiTech Power Transmission Group. At the beginning of November the counterfeits were tossed into a gigantic shredder and reduced to rubber shavings.

As reported in early November, ContiTech has stepped up its efforts to curtail trade in product forgeries. The company intends to send a strong message, a move it believes in the interest of consumer protection. “As a rule phoney products are not made of the same material and do not exhibit the same quality workmanship as ContiTech drive belts. If a belt tears, this could result in costly engine damage,” commented Grefe, citing the reason for taking this step.

The cargo of counterfeits found in Malta stemmed from China. The manufacturer and dealer responsible for the copies, however, remain unknown to date. “The shipping documents did not provide sufficient information on the origin and addressee. Once a court-ordered waiting period elapsed, the belts and packaging could be destroyed,” said Florian Schleifer from the patent department at Continental AG.

The shredding of the fake belts is the second major success for ContiTech this year in its fight against product forgeries. Previous to this incident, a dealer and a general importer in Taiwan were ordered by a court to make damage payments. The court had found them guilty of dealing in about 4,500 phoney V-ribbed belts and approximately 13,000 faked boxes – still empty – sporting the ContiTech design.