Amazon China fined for selling fake natural crystals   

(ECNS) - Amazon China has been accused of selling fake natural crystals and fined by Beijing's Chaoyang District Court, the Beijing Times reported on Friday.

Liu Yanqing, who has made it his business to sue the makers of fake products, bought three "natural" crystals from Amazon on May 19, 2014.

However, the crystals were found to be imitations, so he sued Amazon for cheating customers and demanded total reparations of 2,196 yuan ($350), including a refund, compensation and appraisal costs.

At Thursday's trial, Amazon China refused to compensate Liu, saying he had bought the crystals while knowing they were counterfeit.

In the end, Amazon China was fined 1,223 yuan for the sale of one of the crystals but not the other two, which had been sold by online stores via Amazon China.

Individual anti-counterfeiting actions have become the primary means to protect consumer rights in China.

Li Youguang, a presiding judge at the Chaoyang District Court, said that in 2014 there were 496 cases involving the sale of fake products, nearly 10.3 times more than the year before, two thirds of which ended with punitive damages.