The instruments arrived into Brisbane on 2 June 2018 and carried a number of logos and stamps, including one very similar to the iconic green-and-gold Australian Made logo. The logo claimed the products were “designed and assembled in Australia”.
ABF officers contacted the Australian Made Campaign Ltd (AMCL), and formally seized the goods under the Trade Marks Act 1995 on 18 June 2018 for infringing trademarks held by AMCL under the Notice of Objection Scheme.
A Notice of Objection gives the ABF the authority to intercept and detain suspected counterfeit goods for a period of time, allowing a rights holder to take legal action against the importer.
The importer initially filed a claim to have the seized goods released, providing evidence that they had registered the AMCL logo as a trademark in China. They later consented to forfeit the items.
The pianos were to be transhipped back to China and would likely have been passed off as “Australian Made”.
The items are currently being held while arrangements are made for their disposal.
