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SKF accuses Dutch firm of selling fake bearings

01 February, 2013

The Swedish bearings-maker SKF is taking a Dutch company to court, accusing it of selling counterfeit SKF bearings. The court action represents the latest in a series of moves by SKF to crack down on the sale of illegal merchandise.

In November 2011, customs authorities in China seized fake SKF bearings on their way to the Dutch company, Bearing International Holland. In June 2012, during a raid on a non-authorised distributor in Austria, authorities seized counterfeit SKF bearings that had been bought from Bearing International Holland. SKF then started a civil action against Bearing International Holland for infringing its intellectual property rights.

In July 2012, during a raid on the Dutch company, more fake SKF bearings were found. After the raid, SKF contacted Bearing International Holland and offered to drop the case if Bearing International Holland would agree to tell its customers that they may have received counterfeit goods, and to compensate SKF for its legal costs. Initially, the Dutch company showed an interest in cooperating but this did not lead to a satisfactory agreement, resulting in the current court action.

Customers who suspect that they may have been sold fake SKF products are advised to contact SKF to verify their authenticity by sending photographs and a copy of the invoice to genuine@skf.com

SKF says that trade in counterfeit bearings is a threat to end-users, because the failure of an inferior bearing in a crucial application could lead to a serious accident. If counterfeit bearings are confiscated, they are often destroyed (as shoiwn in the above photo) to prevent their use.




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