In July 2025, a criminal court in Loja handed down Ecuador’s first conviction for asociación ilícita – or “illicit association” – in an intellectual property case. The investigation revealed that a coordinated group manufactured sneakers and affixed counterfeit labels of brands such as Nike, Puma and Adidas before selling them through a network of local distributors. Three defendants accepted responsibility through an abbreviated procedure; the court found them guilty of the crime of illicit association under Article 370 of the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code and imposed 12-month prison terms and financial penalties.

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