Amazon Japan Ordered to Pay Damages for Counterfeit Products

2025-04-26
Amazon Japan Ordered to Pay Damages for Counterfeit Products

A Tokyo District Court ordered Amazon Japan G.K. to pay 35 million yen ($244,000) in damages for failing to prevent the sale of counterfeit products on its platform. Medical equipment manufacturer Try and E and its distributor, Excel Plan, sued Amazon, claiming sales losses due to counterfeit pulse oximeters. The court ruled that Amazon has an obligation to take effective measures against counterfeits, finding it negligent in failing to remove known listings. This landmark ruling sets a precedent for e-commerce platforms' responsibility in combating counterfeit goods.

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Parasitic Worms Manipulate Praying Mantises to Their Deaths on Asphalt

2025-01-04
Parasitic Worms Manipulate Praying Mantises to Their Deaths on Asphalt

Researchers from Kyoto University have discovered that a parasitic horsehair worm manipulates praying mantises into walking onto asphalt roads, leading to their demise. The worm, which lives inside the mantis, causes it to mistake the reflective properties of asphalt for water. Experiments showed infected mantises are attracted to horizontally polarized light, similar to that reflected by water surfaces. This research highlights the cunning survival strategies of parasites and the unintended consequences of human activity on ecosystems. The findings were published in PNAS Nexus.

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