April 2018
North America News
On February 16, 2018, a Federal Judge vacated the rule published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Federal Register to extend the compliance deadline for formaldehyde in composite wood (See test). As a result, the compliance deadline will not be updated.
The judgment summary, No. C 17-06293 JSW, states that the EPA’s most recent year-long delay in implementation of formaldehyde emission standards exceeds its statutory authority under the Formaldehyde Standards in Composite Wood Products Act (15 U.S.C. §2697). Therefore, it is concluded that the rule is beyond the scope of the EPA’s authority and is not in accordance with the Formaldehyde Act. As a result, the Judge stayed the order vacating the rule, 82 FR 44533, until March 9, 2018, so the parties can address the timely and effective implementation of the compliance guidelines.
Based on the vacated ruling, the compliance dates will not be updated and remain as below:
| Provisions | Compliance Date |
| Compliance to emission standards, recordkeeping and labeling | December 12, 2017 |
| Compliance to import certification | December 12, 2018 |
| Compliance to emission standards (laminated product producer) | December 12, 2023 |
| Transition period for CARB Third-Party Certifiers (TPCs) to be TSCA approved TPCs | December 12, 2018 |
In February 2018, the Department of Ecology (DOE) published a Manufacturer Report Guidance for the Children’s Safe Products Reporting Rule. The guidance provides information to manufacturers for reporting chemicals of high concern to children (CHCC) under the Children’s Safe Product Act (CSPA).
The following key information is provided:
Details of reporting responsibility
Reporting information and details
Clarification on product categories and scope
Clarification on product components
Details of reporting ranges of chemicals
Summary of practical quantitation limits and recommended test methods
Clarification on reporting contaminants and due diligence that the DOE is following
List of chemical functions
Guideline on how to use the DOE’s CSPA Reporting Database
In early 2018, there were a number of State issued bills related to chemical restriction requirements. They are summarized below:
| States Bill Number | Bill Title | Proposed Detail |
| New Jersey | Prohibits sale, offer for sale, or distribution of infant products containing bisphenol A | Prohibits the sale and distribution of any infant product made with, or composed in whole or in part of, bisphenol A Defines an infant product as a product including toys, teething rings or play equipment, that is designed or intended for the care of, or use by a child under 3 years of age Effective January 1, 2018 upon approval |
| New Jersey | An Act Concerning Certain Children’s Products Containing Certain Metals | Prohibits the sale and distribution of a children’s product intended for use by a child under the age of 6 composed of lead, mercury or cadmium. Defines a children’s product as a toy or play equipment that is designed or intended solely or primarily for the care of or use by a child. It also includes toy or play equipment that comes into contact with a child during use. 7 months following enactment |
| New Hampshire | An Act Prohibiting the Sale of Certain Furniture with Flame Retardant Chemicals | Prohibits the sale and distribution of any upholstered furniture containing in its fabric or other covering or in its cushioning materials more than 0.1% of flame retardants Defines flame retardants as a chemical for which a functional use is to resist or inhibit the spread of fire. It includes halogenated, phosphorus-based, nitrogen based and nanoscale flame retardant. Effective January 1, 2019 upon approval |
| Maryland | Public Health - Child Care Products Containing Flame-Retardant Chemicals - Prohibition | Prohibits the sale and distribution of child care products (intended for use by a child under the age of 12 years) that contain more than 0.1%of DecaBDE, HBCD, Additive TBBPA, TCEP or TDCPP Effective January 1, 2019 upon approval |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Residential Furniture and Children's Products Flame Retardants Act | Prohibits the sale, manufacture or distribution of children’s products or upholstered residential furniture containing 1000 ppm flame retardants (DecaBDE, HexaBDE, PentaBDE, TDCPP and TCEP) Effective July 1, 2020 upon approval (For manufacturer or wholesaler) Effective July 1, 2021 upon approval (For retailer) |
Europe News
On February 14, 2018, the European Union (EU) issued and approved Regulation (EU) 2018/213 to amend the Regulation (EU) 10/2011 Food Contact Plastic Materials to lower the specific migration limit of bisphenol A (BPA).
In the adopted regulation, the specific migration limit of BPA is updated from 0.6 mg/kg to 0.05 mg/kg (See test). Apart from the specific migration limit, the restriction and specification has been updated:
BPA is not allowed to be used for the manufacture of polycarbonate infant feeding bottles
No migration of BPA is permitted from the plastic materials and articles specifically intended to be brought into contact with food for infants and young children
The new limit will be effective on September 6, 2018.
On January 10, 2018, the European Committee of Standardization (CEN) published a new version of EN 71-8:2018 Safety of toys - Part 8: Activity toys for domestic use. The standard provides requirements and testing methods for activity toys for domestic use often attached to or incorporating a crossbeam, and similar toys intended for children under 14 years to play on or in and often intended to bear the mass of one or more children.
In the standard, it specifies the requirement for:
Separately sold accessories for, and components of activity toys
Separately sold swing elements that are ready for use on or in combination with an activity toy
Construction package for activity toys including components used to build activity toys according to a scheduled building instruction
Upon harmonisation to Toys Safety Directive 2009/48/EC, the standard will become mandatory.
Asia News
On January 3, 2018, the National Environment Agency (NEA) issued update, NEA/HS/6.6, on the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA).
The changes are summarised below:
| Current Requirements | Enhanced Requirements |
| The following batteries are not allowed for local sale: Mercury oxide batteries Zinc carbon batteries containing more than 0.001% by weight of mercury per cell Alkaline (excluding button cell) batteries containing more than 0.025% by weight of mercury per cell | All batteries including button cells containing more than 0.0005% by weight of mercury per cell are not allowed. |
The effective date of the enhanced requirements is March 31, 2018.
In China, thousands of consumer products will be inspected and reported when hazards and non-compliance to applicable standards are identified among the products. The market surveillance will be performed on a Province basis, which is updated in a non-regular time frame. The China Market Surveillance from August 2017 to February 2018 is summarized below:
| Categories | Frequency |
| Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 21 |
| Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 19 |
| Food Contact Material | 12 |
| Furniture | 7 |
| Tools | 6 |
| Jewelry, Watch or other Fashion Accessories | 5 |
| Other Categories* | 24 |
*Other Categories include Candles & Burning Items and Accessories, Children’s Product, Computer / Audio / Video / Other Electronics & Accessories, Consumer Chemical, Cosmetics / Bodycare, Footwear, General Use Products, Homeware (Non-food Contact), Lighting Equipment, Packaging Material and Toys and Childcare Articles with a frequency of less than 5.
| Province | Pass Amount | Fail Amount |
| Beijing | 93 | 11 |
| Jiangsu | 132 | 11 |
| Jilin | 50 | 9 |
| Shanghai | 841 | 87 |
| Beijing | 397 | 16 |
| Hebei | 80 | 0 |
| Jilin | 16 | 0 |
| Liaoning | 235 | 10 |
| Ningxia | 58 | 54 |
| Shanghai | 942 | 106 |
| Shanghai | 56 | 4 |
| Shanxi | 163 | 16 |
| Xinjiang | 169 | 21 |
| Zhejiang | 228 | 85 |
Market Surveillance Summary - China (Last Update Date: February28, 2018)
| Province | Product | Product Categories | Total Inspected Amount | Failed Item | Failure Percentage | Pass Amount | Fail Amount |
| Liaoning | School Uniform | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 45 | Fiber content | 7% | 42 | 3 |
| Liaoning | Tissue Paper | Cosmetics / Bodycare | 30 | Longitudinal wet tensile strength | 3% | 29 | 1 |
| Liaoning | Wooden Door | Furniture | 25 | Dipping | 4% | 24 | 1 |
| Liaoning | Metal Door | Furniture | 10 | N/A | 0% | 10 | 0 |
| Liaoning | Metal Furniture | Furniture | 20 | N/A | 0% | 20 | 0 |
| Liaoning | Non-Woven Cloth | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 10 | Breaking strength (vertical and horizontal) | 10% | 9 | 1 |
| Liaoning | Corrugated Carton | Packaging Material | 50 | Compressive strength | 6% | 47 | 3 |
| Liaoning | Rubber Hose and Hose Assembly | Tools | 25 | N/A | 0% | 25 | 0 |
| Liaoning | Rubber Seal Products | Tools | 30 | Liquid-resistant items | 3% | 29 | 1 |
| Jilin | Textile Automotive Interior Products | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 4 | N/A | 0% | 4 | 0 |
| Jilin | Leather Car Interior Products | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 3 | N/A | 0% | 3 | 0 |
| Jilin | Plastic Automotive Interior Products | General Use Product | 13 | N/A | 0% | 13 | 0 |
| Jilin | Carpet, Felt Automotive Interior Products | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 11 | N/A | 0% | 11 | 0 |
| Jilin | Sponge Car Interior Products | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 1 | N/A | 0% | 1 | 0 |
| Jilin | Degradable Polylactic Acid Products | Food Contact Material | 27 | Polylactic acid content, lifting test, ash content and sealing strength | 33% | 18 | 9 |
| Shanghai | Skin and Hair Care Appliances | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 26 | Signs and instructions, input power and current | 8% | 24 | 2 |
| Shanghai | USB Power Adapter | Computer / Audio / Video / Other Electronics & Accessories | 20 | Electrical strength, electrical clearance, creepage distance and insulation penetration distance after heat treatment, conduction disturbance of power terminals, radiation disturbance below 1GHz | 40% | 12 | 8 |
| Shanghai | Wood Furniture | Furniture | 150 | Woodworking requirements, film physical and chemical properties | 8% | 138 | 12 |
| Shanghai | LED Control Device | Lighting Equipment | 10 | N/A | 0% | 10 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Self-Ballasted LED Lamp for General Lighting | Lighting Equipment | 25 | Signs, mechanical strength | 12% | 22 | 3 |
| Shanghai | Valve | Tools | 60 | Body wall thickness measurement, stem diameter measurement | 5% | 57 | 3 |
| Shanghai | Ventilator | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 15 | N/A | 0% | 15 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Casual Clothing | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 84 | Fiber content, pH, colorfastness to water, colorfastness to acid and alkali perspiration, decomposable carcinogenic aromatic amine dyes | 15% | 71 | 13 |
| Shanghai | Swimsuit | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 31 | Fiber content, color fastness to light | 19% | 25 | 6 |
| Shanghai | Wallpaper | Homeware (Non-food Contact) | 30 | Washability | 3% | 29 | 1 |
| Shanghai | Bed Linings | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 40 | Fibrous raw material requirements, fiber content, water fastness, perspiration fastness, light fastness | 10% | 36 | 4 |
| Shanghai | Impregnated Paper Laminated Wood Flooring | Furniture | 40 | Static bending strength, surface bonding strength, surface abrasion resistance, formaldehyde emission | 10% | 36 | 4 |
| Shanghai | Door Control Device | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 20 | N/A | 0% | 20 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Electric Toothbrush | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 15 | Signs and instructions | 33% | 10 | 5 |
| Shanghai | Switches for Household and Similar Fixed Electrical Installations | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 40 | Signs | 3% | 39 | 1 |
| Shanghai | Shirt | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 60 | Fiber content | 3% | 58 | 2 |
| Shanghai | Knitted T-shirts | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 60 | Fiber content | 5% | 57 | 3 |
| Shanghai | Shoes | Footwear | 32 | Fold resistance | 22% | 25 | 7 |
| Shanghai | Travel Shoes | Footwear | 50 | Outsole wear resistance and peeling strength of bottom wall and upper side | 8% | 46 | 4 |
| Shanghai | Civil Valve | Tools | 35 | Pipe thread accuracy | 6% | 33 | 2 |
| Shanghai | Sanitary Ware Hose | Tools | 21 | Threaded connection | 5% | 20 | 1 |
| Shanghai | Plastic Shopping Bag | Packaging Material | 30 | Thickness and Dart Impact | 27% | 22 | 8 |
| Shanghai | Tissues | Cosmetics / Bodycare | 29 | N/A | 0% | 30 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Household Gas Stove | Candles & Burning Items and Accessories | 45 | Energy efficiency | 3% | 28 | 1 |
| Shanghai | Fabric Steam Engine | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 50 | Signs and instructions, input power and current, leakage current and electrical strength at operating temperature, abnormal operation, power connections and external cords, grounding measures | 18% | 37 | 8 |
| Shanghai | Leather Sandals | Footwear | 143 | Peel strength, folding resistance, pull-out strength of the upper belt, colorfastness of the lining and inner cushion, shoe steel hook | 16% | 42 | 8 |
| Jiangsu | Toys | Toys and Childcare Articles | 30 | Identification and usage instructions, mechanical and physical properties | 8% | 132 | 11 |
| Beijing | Single Door Cabinet, Three Pumping Activity Cabinet | Furniture | 30 | Mechanical properties (cabinet stability) | 7% | 28 | 2 |
| Beijing | Student's Wear (women's long-sleeved T-shirt, knitted trousers) | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 41 | The measured value of the fiber content is inconsistent with the apparent value, the fiber composition and content, and the marked item does not meet the standard requirement | 10% | 37 | 4 |
| Beijing | Commercial Desktop Plain Cooker | Food Contact Material | 298 | Signs and instructions | 3% | 290 | 8 |
| Beijing | Air Purifier | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 74 | Mechanical strength, abnormal operation, leakage current and electrical strength | 5% | 70 | 4 |
| Hebei | Plastic tool (for food) | Food Contact Material | 39 | N/A | 0% | 39 | 0 |
| Hebei | Non-Composite Film Bags (for food) | Food Contact Material | 29 | N/A | 0% | 29 | 0 |
| Hebei | Plastic Sheet (for food) | Food Contact Material | 2 | N/A | 0% | 2 | 0 |
| Hebei | Metal Cans (for food) | Food Contact Material | 4 | N/A | 0% | 4 | 0 |
| Hebei | Daily Use Ceramics (for food) | Food Contact Material | 6 | N/A | 0% | 6 | 0 |
| Shanxi | Cleaning Products | Consumer Chemical | 61 | Total active content item | 3% | 59 | 2 |
| Shanxi | Vintage Glasses | Jewelry, Watch or other Fashion Accessories | 26 | Ball lens vertex deviation, optical center horizontal distance tolerance, optical center unilateral horizontal tolerance, optical center vertical mutual difference, logo item | 15% | 22 | 4 |
| Shanxi | Light fixture | Lighting Equipment | 35 | Structure (trunks), external wiring (cross-sectional area) and internal wiring (cross-sectional area), insulation resistance, and electrical strength items | 20% | 28 | 7 |
| Shanxi | LED Control Device | Lighting Equipment | 31 | Power factor and lamp interchangeability items | 6% | 29 | 2 |
| Shanxi | Beauty salon equipment | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 26 | Input power deviation, power connection and external cord items | 4% | 25 | 1 |
| Jilin | Electric Blanket | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 16 | N/A | 0% | 16 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Down Feather | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 41 | pH value, fleece content | 7% | 38 | 3 |
| Shanghai | Knitted (warmth) Underwear | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 60 | Fiber content; Insulation rate | 7% | 56 | 4 |
| Shanghai | Electric Water Heater (fast heating type) | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 5 | N/A | 0% | 5 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Electric Water Heater (water storage type) | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 20 | Rated capacity, 24h inherent energy consumption coefficient, hot water output rate, energy efficiency rating | 10% | 18 | 2 |
| Shanghai | Domestic Gas Fast Hot Water | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 19 | Hot water yield | 5% | 18 | 1 |
| Beijing | Household Appliances | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 74 | N/A | 12% | 65 | 9 |
| Shanghai | Travel Bags | General Use Product | 30 | Oscillating impact performance, walking performance and tie rod fatigue resistance | 40% | 18 | 12 |
| Shanghai | Portable Microcomputer | Tools | 14 | N/A | 0% | 14 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Household Sweeping Machine | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 15 | N/A | 0% | 15 | 0 |
| Shanghai | School Bag | Children Product | 30 | Vibration impact performance, stitch strength and rubbing fastness | 37% | 19 | 11 |
| Shanghai | Spectacle Lenses | Jewelry, Watch or other Fashion Accessories | 40 | Lens size, UV resistance (expressed indicators) and impact resistance (expressed indicators) | 10% | 36 | 4 |
| Shanghai | Air Purifier | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 27 | Protection against contact with live parts, stability and mechanical hazards, formaldehyde purification energy efficiency, noise (sound power level) | 7% | 25 | 2 |
| Shanghai | Plastic Drinking Bottle (cup) | Food Contact Material | 90 | N/A | 0% | 90 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Disposable Plastic Tableware Products | Food Contact Material | 125 | N/A | 0% | 125 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Shavers, hair clippers | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 20 | Heat and flame resistant | 15% | 17 | 3 |
| Shanghai | Children’s Chopstick | Food Contact Material | 100 | N/A | 0% | 100 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Wool Knitwear | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 63 | Fiber content | 11% | 56 | 7 |
| Shanghai | Sportswear | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 53 | Fiber content, colorfastness to dry rubbing, surface moisture resistance (before washing), hydrostatic pressure (before washing) | 6% | 50 | 3 |
| Shanghai | Power Adapter (Information Technology Equipment) | Computer / Audio / Video / Other Electronics & Accessories | 23 | Clearance creepage distance and insulation penetration distance, power terminal conducted disturbance | 13% | 20 | 3 |
| Shanghai | Tablet | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 20 | Electrical strength after wet heat treatment; electrical clearance, creepage distance and insulation penetration distance; resistance to abnormal heat | 10% | 18 | 2 |
| Shanghai | Student Supplies Ballpoint Pen | Children's Product | 28 | Pen top cap security, migrating elements, initial write performance, writing performance, water resistance, intermittent writing | 14% | 24 | 4 |
| Shanghai | Anti-Static shoes | Footwear | 12 | N/A | 0% | 12 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Dangerous Packaging, Container Products (plastic packaging) | Food Contact Material | 23 | N/A | 0% | 23 | 0 |
| Shanghai | Match Glasses | Jewelry, Watch or other Fashion Accessories | 80 | Ball mirror vertex deviation, cylinder axis direction deviation, horizontal deviation of optical center horizontal, optical center horizontal deviation and sign | 30% | 56 | 24 |
| Shanghai | Electric Fan | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 50 | Signs and instructions, stability and mechanical hazards, structure, power connection and external cord, output air volume, energy efficiency rating, where stability and mechanical hazards, structure, power connections, and external cords are severely unqualified | 12% | 44 | 6 |
| Zhejiang | Electric Hand Warmers | Home Electrical Appliances (Hair Dryer, Iron, etc.) | 45 | Signs and instructions, protection against touching live parts, input power and current, structure, power connection and external cords | 29% | 32 | 13 |
| Zhejiang | Children's Mosaic Mat | Toys and Childcare Articles | 12 | Small parts released in the foreseeable and reasonable abuse of the product | 100% | 0 | 12 |
| Zhejiang | Down Jacket | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 50 | Permissible deviation of finished product filling amount, fiber content, quality requirements of fillers, colorfastness to water resistance of fabrics, colorfastness to acid perspiration, alkali fastness to alkali perspiration, and colorfastness to dry rubbing | 32% | 34 | 16 |
| Zhejiang | Children's Clothing | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 49 | Fiber content, pH value, tensile strength of accessories, string, sewing position of durable label, colorfastness to dry rubbing, colorfastness to wet rubbing, colorfastness to saliva, colorfastness to perspiration | 59% | 20 | 29 |
| Zhejiang | Electric Toys | Toys and Childcare Articles | 54 | Foreseeable and reasonable abuse", "small parts", "precision", "plastic bags or plastic films used in packaging or toys", "packaging used when toys are sold," "product standard numbering | 9% | 49 | 5 |
| Zhejiang | Children's Clothing | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 33 | N/A | 21% | 26 | 7 |
| Zhejiang | Children and Infant clothing | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 40 | Colorfastness, fiber content, rope requirements for wet rubbing | 8% | 37 | 3 |
| Zhejiang | Bed Lining | Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 30 | N/A | 0% | 30 | 0 |
| Ningxia | Glasses | Jewelry, Watch or other Fashion Accessories | 60 | Optical center horizontal distance deviation, one-sided horizontal deviation of optical center | 90% | 6 | 54 |
| Ningxia | Disposable Plastic Tableware | Food Contact Material | 52 | N/A | 0% | 52 | 0 |
| Xinjiang | Glasses | Jewelry, Watch or other Fashion Accessories | 130 | Cylindrical axis deviation and optical center horizontal distance deviation | 1% | 129 | 1 |
| Xinjiang | Furniture | Furniture | 60 | Mechanical properties, formaldehyde emission, appearance of wooden parts (sealing treatment), product materials, processing (wooden parts) | 33% | 40 | 20 |
Australia/New Zealand News
On February 2, 2018, the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs issued a Product Safety Policy Statement for Button Batteries, Safer Products and Packaging. The policy provides guidance for manufacturers and suppliers of button batteries to help reduce the risk associated with button batteries and improve household product safety.
In the policy statement, it is addressed that products containing or supplied with button batteries shall meet the following requirements:
Secure battery compartment: There should be two mechanisms for release and both of them must be activated to open the compartment.
Use and abuse test: Product should ensure that with expected everyday use, battery compartments cannot be accidentally opened, become insecure or result in the release of batteries. The test includes:
Torque and tension test
Drop test
Battery compartment lid pressure test
Robustness test on the mechanical fastener or compartment latch
Following standards are recommended as references for the battery compartments evaluation:
AS/NZS ISO 8124.1
ISO 8124.1
EN 71-1
ASTM F963
UL 4200A
SASO News
On February 1, 2018, Saudi MCI, has closed three accounts marketing counterfeit and fake products through the social networking site "Instagram". Foreign men and women of Asian nationality used a residential building in the Al-Areeja neighborhood, west of Riyadh, to manufacture and pack fake cosmetics, using materials of unknown origin. The seized cosmetics were valued at more than 2 million Riyals.
After a tip received by MCI, the necessary investigation was carried out and the suspects were arrested and referred to the Public Prosecution in preparation for their referral to the judicial authorities to complete the legal procedures against them. This was done in cooperation and coordination with the joint security campaigns represented by the Riyadh police.
The products stored inside the site included moisturizing and skin whitening cream, aromatic oil and body care items. The machines used for mixing and manufacturing such items were all seized and confiscated, since they pose a danger to the safety of users.
MCI warns against buying from unknown accounts in social networking sites, and calls for purchasing from the electronic stores, or from the accounts and pages that have a C. R. Additionally, consumers should purchase from accounts that are registered and have a service certificate from "Ma’aroof" site, or from the well-known international sites, so as to ensure and preserve the consumers’ rights.
MCI also warns against selling or marketing counterfeit or fake goods through websites and social networking. Since such activity is considered a violation of the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law and Trademark System, which may lead to penalties of up to three years' imprisonment, fines of one million riyals, and deporting the illegal laborers to their countries and writing off the commercial activity.
For more details, please visit: https://mci.gov.sa/en/MediaCenter/News/Pages/01-02-18-01.aspx
Less than 24 hours after the seizure of 2.75 million fake and counterfeit mobile phone accessories, on January 8, 2018, Saudi MCI, seized 25 tons of Raw Tobacco, JRAC and 500 kg Sawdust during regular inspection
2.75 million fake and counterfeit mobile phone accessories were seized at an illegal site in Riyadh. Shortly after, MCI inspection teams detected two illegal warehouses in Jeddah involved in producing counterfeit tobacco.
The inspection teams raided the two warehouses at the Al-Khomrah neighborhood in Jeddah. 21.5 tons raw tobacco, more than 3 tons JRAC ready-for-sale, 500 kg sawdust, 734,860 stickers bearing false trademarks and 50,400 packets of ready mix tobacco were seized.
MCI inspectors detected as well two cases of commercial cover up. Meanwhile, the two sites were shut down and the owners were summoned by the Ministry for taking the necessary legal procedures.
For more details, please visit: https://mci.gov.sa/en/MediaCenter/News/Pages/08-01-18-03.aspx
On January 8th, 2018, after two months of investigation, Saudi MCI inspection teams, in cooperation with the joint security campaigns, raided a large warehouse used for storing counterfeit and fake telecom devices and supplies in Riyadh.
MCI inspectors succeeded in detecting a warehouse and basement used to store counterfeit and fake telecom items at a traditional house in the Aziziyah district south of Riyadh.
The inspection tours, carried out by MCI inspectors in a number of markets in Riyadh two months ago, led to the disclosure of the warehouse that had been supplying counterfeit telecom items to the shops.
The seizures included 2.75 million fake and forged telecom items, such as batteries, chargers and telephone headsets, as well as forged packages and stickers of famous trademarks, including “Apple” and “Samsung”, ready for distribution and marketing.
MCI inspectors, with the support and cooperation of the security forces, monitored illegal laborers involved in fixing fake and poor-quality chargers, batteries, headphones and plugs on the phones, and then they would re-pack such items in cartons bearing international brands, thus misleading the consumers by claiming that they are original.
All fake products were seized and the owner was summoned by the Ministry for further investigation and for taking the necessary legal procedures, in preparation for referring the case to the Public Prosecution.
Such commercial fraud is subject to a fine of one million Riyals or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or both.
For more details, please visit: https://mci.gov.sa/en/MediaCenter/News/Pages/08-01-18-02.aspx
SASO has organized an Energy Efficiency Workshop with traders and Certification bodies to expand the scope of SASO EER to other products.
The workshop was held on the February 28, 2018 at SASO HQ in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
New products expected to be added to the scope of SASO EER include small air conditioners, washing machines, dryers, water heaters and refrigerators.
QIMA attended this workshop and more details of the workshop will be released in our next newsletter.
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