FCC Cites California Online Retailer for Importing And Marketing Illegal Smartphones

The Federal Communications Commission Enforcement Bureau has cited Panasystem, a California-based online electronics retailer, for importing and marketing counterfeit smartphones marked with unauthorized or invalid labels falsely indicating that the devices were certified by the FCC.

“We will not tolerate the importation and marketing of counterfeit devices,” said Travis LeBlanc, Acting Chief of the Enforcement Bureau. “The trafficking of these devices not only robs the intellectual property of legitimate manufacturers, it harms consumers by failing to provide them with safe and certified smartphones that comply with the FCC’s equipment authorization process.”

The FCC investigation identified the smartphones imported by Panasystem as counterfeit Samsung models “Galaxy S Duos” and “Galaxy Ace.” Although these devices were labeled with seemingly-valid Samsung FCC Identifiers, the investigation showed that Samsung neither manufactured the devices nor authorized the FCC Identifier labels.

The investigation also revealed that another set of smartphones imported by Panasystem contained counterfeit BlackBerry model 9790 devices. These smartphones were labeled with invalid FCC Identifiers, which rendered them illegal for sale in the United States.


FCC Cites California Online Retailer for Importing And Marketing Illegal Smartphones