The case was solved after the French owner of the wine brand notified the authorities of the copyright infringement and the Interpol and Europol agencies informed the Moldovan border police.
According to PCCOCS, starting in 2020, a Moldovan company produced and exported wines under an internationally protected French trademark to the United States. This without having obtained the right to do so, which would have included certain conditions and costs associated with payments to the right holder.
As part of the operation, PCCOCS prosecutors and border police officers searched the homes and cars of several employees of the said company, both in Chisinau and at the winery outside the capital.
During the searches, law enforcement officers seized packaging, samples of allegedly infringing labels, contracts, invoices, and information media that will be used in the criminal investigation.
Exports of wine to the United States by the company under investigation have been suspended.
