Ford sues dealer for fake parts

[Aussie Falcon]

I saw this in todays Fin. review:

Ford sues one of its own for fake parts
Matthew Drummond

Ford Australia has alleged one of its largest dealers is involved in a counterfeit spare parts racket, falsely passing off mufflers, batteries and other spare parts as genuine Ford products.

The car manufacturer is suing Jefferson Ford, one of Melbourne's biggest Ford dealers, which also trades under the names City Ford and President Ford.

Last year three of its premises were raided by the Australian Federal Police, who are understood to be investigating the importing of fake Ford car parts.

In documents filed in the Federal Court, Ford has alleged the dealer instructed its employees to print stickers bearing the Ford and Motorcraft trademarks and then apply them to mufflers and batteries, passing them off as being manufactured by Ford. Other spare parts falsely represented as being genuine Ford parts include ignition coils and leads, heater valves and stop-lamp switches.

Ford will apply next Wednesday for an urgent injunction to stop the dealer from selling the parts.

Ford is also seeking declarations that Jefferson Ford has infringed its trade marks and engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct, and it wants orders forcing Jefferson to destroy the spare parts.

Jefferson Ford's managing director, Simon Jefferson, denied any wrongdoing and said his company had never knowingly sold non-genuine parts.

"The parts concerned are sourced from Australian-based importers of Ford parts, which is standard practice in the global automotive market," he said.

Ford spokeswoman Sinead McAlary said while customers should have a choice in whether they wished to use genuine Ford parts, the company was keen to ensure they got what they paid for. "Anything with the Ford brand on it goes through a rigorous testing procedure," she said.

An AFP spokesman confirmed yesterday that search warrants were executed in September of Jefferson Ford premises in three suburbs, including Melbourne's central business district.