MultiChoice Group said on Friday that it has concluded proceedings against an importer of counterfeit power supply units (PSUs) for use with its decoders.
The proceedings, under the Counterfeit Goods Act, saw a South African company called Uni Li Cell and its sole director — who the company hasn’t named — facing prosecution following the seizure of counterfeit PSUs imported through the Durban port.
The development comes nearly a year after border police intercepted a shipment of about 5 000 counterfeit chargers and PSUs “falsely branded to appear compatible with DStv decoders”.
“These items bore the counterfeit mark ‘Dtv’, a brand deceptively similar to the registered DStv trademarks, posing a significant threat to consumers and brand integrity,” MultiChoice said in a statement.
“The importer has since signed a formal undertaking in settlement of the civil case, agreeing to the delivery of all the infringing goods as well as a cost contribution of R40 000 has also been paid as part of the settlement,” it added.
“In a controlled destruction process, the counterfeit power supplies were crushed manually with hammers to extract recyclable components. Cables were stripped to recover copper wiring, and all cardboard packaging was collected for recycling by authorised agents. The process was carefully documented and overseen to ensure compliance with legal and environmental standards.”
Enforcement effort
The broadcaster said the case forms part of a “broader enforcement effort that recently saw border police detain a further 30 600 counterfeit universal chargers bearing marks identical or confusingly similar to DStv trademarks”.
Read: Big anti-piracy busts in the Western Cape
“In alignment with new procedures adopted by the South African Police Service, the commercial crime unit and the National Prosecuting Authority, all such detentions are now submitted for criminal prosecution, reflecting a stronger national stance against counterfeit trade,” it said. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
Get breaking news from TechCentral on WhatsApp. Sign up here.