Long Beach, CA–Citing the need to protect the interests of authorized dealers and consumers, and to safeguard its own intellectual property rights, Kenwood USA Corporation has partnered with Net Enforcers Inc., a company that tracks and monitors resellers and trans-shippers who sell products on the Internet without manufacturer authorization.
A Kenwood official said Net Enforcers would also help Kenwood identify companies who sales practices violate dealership and distribution agreements they have with Kenwood, potentially resulting in termination of reseller agreements.
“We cannot tolerate dealers or distributors who transship products in violation of distribution policies, and we expect only those dealers authorized to sell online to do so, and to offer only the products authorized for online sales,” said Mike Roberts, vice president of mobile entertainment for Kenwood USA Corporation. Roberts said that only a select few Kenwood dealers have agreements allowing online sales of selected products or lines of products, but that most did not.
Authorized online e-tailers include Tweeter, Best Buy, The Good Guys, Crutchfield Electronics, Circuit City, and Sears for mobile electronics, while home electronic e-tailors include Best Buy, The Good Guys, Crutchfield Electronics, Circuit City, Electronics Express, Sears, and Vann’s.
Kenwood said it is also was examining whether products sold by unauthorized dealers or via unauthorized channels were indeed covered under its manufacturer’s warranty, and it urged dealers to remind customers that obtaining products through authorized channels is their guarantee of receiving full warranty benefits.
For more information, visit www.kenwoodusa.com.
