In June, Canon backed a Tokyo customs campaign to curb accidental purchases of fake goods.
As online shopping blurs borders, Tokyo Customs and Japan Customs Intellectual Property Information Centre (CIPIC) and Canon urged consumers to verify sellers on e-commerce platforms.
The initiative, “Watch Out for Unintentional Purchases of Counterfeit Goods!”, took place in Shinjuku, where officials and corporate representatives distributed leaflets to highlight the risks of counterfeit sales.
For global manufacturers such as Canon, counterfeit products not only erode brand value but also increase enforcement costs and threaten consumer trust. Industry groups have long argued that cross-border e-commerce accelerates the spread of fake goods, leaving companies to invest heavily in intellectual property protection and legal actions.
Canon’s participation underlines rising pressure on multinationals to collaborate with authorities to stem the economic impact of counterfeits. The campaign stressed that buyers — from teenagers to retirees — remain vulnerable to misleading listings and deceptive sellers, underscoring the challenge of safeguarding consumers and brands in the digital marketplace.
