The company purchased 50 boxes of "Feitian Maotai," and surprisingly, 41 boxes were counterfeit fake bottles filled with bulk liquor!
The man involved in the case was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in the first trial.

A company in Xingtai purchased 50 boxes of Feitian Maotai liquor, and upon inspection, 41 boxes were found to be counterfeit Maotai, with only 9 boxes being genuine Maotai. After investigation, the suspect Gong (Gong) bought bulk liquor from a small workshop in Maotai Town, then hired bottlers to fill, seal, and box the fake Feitian Maotai for 41 boxes, and also purchased 9 boxes of genuine Maotai, delivering the goods to the company in three shipments. According to reports from China Judgments Online, recently, the People’s Court of Xingtai Economic Development Zone in Hebei announced the first-instance verdict: Gong was sentenced to one year and three months in prison for the crime of counterfeiting registered trademarks and fined 60,000 yuan.

Image of the material, source: TuChong Creative

The prosecution charged that in September 2023, Li (handled in a separate case) contacted defendant Gong to inquire whether he could find higher-quality fake Feitian Maotai. Gong quoted 1,000 yuan per bottle and 6,000 yuan per box. In November 2023, Li’s wife Hu (handled in a separate case) contacted Gong to continue negotiations about selling Maotai to a company in Xingtai, with prices at 1,000 yuan per bottle and 6,000 yuan per box, requiring 50 boxes for a total of 300,000 yuan.

Subsequently, Gong purchased bulk liquor from a small workshop in Maotai Town, then hired someone specialized in bottling to fill, seal, and box the fake Maotai, producing a total of 41 boxes of 500ml, 53-degree Feitian Maotai bearing the “Guizhou Maotai” registered trademark. These, along with 9 boxes of genuine Maotai, were shipped in three batches to a company in Xingtai, with a sales amount of 300,000 yuan, of which 250,000 yuan was actually received, and 50,000 yuan remained unpaid by Hu. After testing the seized Maotai liquor, Guizhou company confirmed all were counterfeit registered trademark products.

The facts, evidence, and charges proven in court are consistent with those presented by the prosecution. It was also found that among the 50 boxes sold by Gong to the Xingtai company, 9 boxes contained 500ml, 53-degree Feitian Maotai bearing the “Guizhou Maotai” registered trademark. Gong was arrested on July 22, 2025. He had previously been sentenced to ten months in prison for counterfeiting registered trademarks and was released on June 25, 2022.

The court held that Gong committed the crime of counterfeiting registered trademarks. His defense argued that Gong confessed and accepted punishment, which the court verified and adopted. The defense also claimed that Gong’s expenses for purchasing genuine and fake liquor, and that he did not profit from the sale, should be considered. The court found that the purchase of genuine liquor was verified and accepted; however, the costs for counterfeiting Maotai should not be deducted as costs, so this was not accepted. Gong cooperated and truthfully confessed his crimes after being brought to justice, and was willing to accept punishment, so a lighter sentence was considered. Since Gong committed the same crime within five years after serving his previous sentence, it is considered a repeat offense and warrants a heavier penalty. Gong’s truthful confession after arrest qualifies for a leniency under the law.

In summary, the court sentenced Gong to one year and three months in prison for counterfeiting registered trademarks and fined 60,000 yuan.

Reporter: Jiang Long, Red Star News

Editor: Zhang Li

Reviewer: Feng Lingling