In a joint investigation the Int’l ITC and Chihuahua government investigated a potential fraudulent use of STMC certification.
Int’l ITC reported that in October 2021, the government of the Mexican state of Chihuahua contacted the Int’l ITC regarding the STMC certification of its suppliers, MITA, (Maquinas, Informacion y Tecnologia Advanzada) in Chuihuahua and Mexico City, and Copyrent del Noroeste in Chihuahua.
These companies provided information to the Chihuahua government supporting the STMC certification of its supplies, allegedly manufactured by Kolor Corporation and Katun. Katun is legitimately certified, whereas Kolor Corporation has never been officially certified according to the announcement made by the Int’l ITC.
To support their position that their products were certified, MITA and Copyrent provided copies of STMC certificates for the two companies. In support of their inquiry, the Chihuahua officials passed on digital copies of these documents to the Int’l ITC for verification.
After investigating said documents, the Int’l ITC said it “provided documentation to the Office of the Senior Auditor of Chihuahua that MITA, Copyrent del Noroeste and Kolor Corporation have provided them with fraudulent documentation and was in violation of our programme rules, as well as misusing our trademarks.”
New management at Copyrent del Noroeste reached out to the Int’l ITC to say they had no part in this affair.
This is just one of many STMC investigations that have been undertaken to stop the fraudulent use of STMC certificates, logos and trademarks. The Int’l ITC said it was delighted to work with Mexican officials, and to see how seriously they responded to the abuse.
The association concluded: “The Int’l ITC aggressively protects its intellectual property and polices the STMC program for abuse. It is currently looking for information about Kolor Corporation and its principals to pursue its rightful remedies. The State of Chihuahua is likewise reviewing its contracts that were entered into based on the misrepresentations. The two organisations will continue to work together.”
