On August 12, 2026, Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission found that a business operator selling the “snow peak GS-450R Flat Single Burner” — a product of the well-known Japanese outdoor brand “snow peak” — on the e-commerce platform Shopee (蝦皮) had advertised the product’s place of origin as Japan, when in fact the actual country of manufacture was Korea. The operator was found to have violated Article 21, Paragraph 1 of the Fair Trade Act and was fined NT$50,000 under Article 42 of the same Act.
- Case Summary
When listing the product advertisement on Shopee, the operator indicated the place of origin as Japan, creating the impression that the product was manufactured in Japan. However, upon investigation, the Fair Trade Commission found that the actual country of manufacture was Korea, and that the specification section of the product manual also clearly stated “Country of Origin: MADE IN KOREA.”
The Fair Trade Commission determined that the advertised place of manufacture was inconsistent with the actual facts, and that the representation was sufficient to influence consumers’ purchasing decisions. Accordingly, the advertisement was found to constitute a false, untrue, and misleading representation, in violation of Article 21, Paragraph 1 of the Fair Trade Act.
- Advisory from the Fair Trade Commission
The Fair Trade Commission advises that a product bearing a well-known brand from a particular country does not necessarily mean that the product was manufactured in that country. When advertising the country of manufacture of a product, operators are required to verify that the information is consistent with the facts and to fulfill their duty of due diligence, so as to avoid legal penalties arising from false advertising.
- Points to Note
This case concerns the accuracy of country-of-origin labeling in online shopping. “The country associated with a brand” and “the country of manufacture” are distinct concepts, and operators must take care not to conflate the two when placing advertisements. Article 21, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Fair Trade Act broadly prohibit false, untrue, or misleading representations regarding the country of origin or the place of manufacture of goods, and this prohibition applies equally to sales conducted through e-commerce platforms.
