When Amazon and Brother identified a network purchasing empty original Brother cartridges for printers, refilling them with inauthentic powder, and using fake holographic labels to evade detection, the scale and organization of the operation became clear. Stopping individual sellers wouldn’t address the underlying infrastructure.
Amazon and Brother brought their evidence to the Berlin Regional Court in a 2022 joint lawsuit and to German law enforcement. In 2024, Berlin authorities conducted a large-scale dawn raid targeting the suspected counterfeit network as part of the enforcement actions connected to the case. In 2025, the Berlin Regional Court ruled against 18 defendants, awarding €500,000 in damages to Brother with rights to additional claims. The court ordered destruction of infringing goods and required defendants to disclose their operations—product sourcing, sales data, the full network. The case established a framework for coordinated enforcement against organized counterfeiting operations.
“Protecting our customers and partners from counterfeit products is a top priority for Brother. Counterfeit goods not only undermine trust but can damage devices, compromise print quality, and pose risks to the environment due to non-compliant materials and improper disposal. This ruling sends a clear message that we will take decisive action against organized counterfeit networks.” — Matthias Kohlstrung, managing director, Brother Germany