Effective July 15, 2026, a federal judge approved a permanent injunction against several Chinese ebike manufacturers for falsely claiming UL safety certification on Amazon listings and their website. The settlement, between Amazon, UL (a product safety testing and certification firm), and the Aipas brand companies, highlights a persistent problem of fraudulent certification marks in online marketplaces.
The Lawsuit and the Injunction
The US companies (Amazon and UL) accused the Chinese firms in January 2026 of claiming in Amazon listings and on Aipas' website that their ebikes had been certified by UL. According to WIRED, this was not true. On July 15, a federal judge signed off on a permanent injunction requiring the companies to cease using the UL mark and barring them from “assisting, aiding, or abetting any other person or business” in doing the same. The filing notes that the Chinese companies did not admit liability or wrongdoing.
Despite the injunction, WIRED found a Facebook account associated with Aipas Ebike still running ads that include UL’s red logo. A WIRED reporter was served one such ad in mid-July, and another ad had been actively running since April, months after the lawsuit was filed, according to Meta's Ad Library. Bradley Carlson, a spokesperson for UL, said the team is “aware and working to resolve” the Facebook ad issues.
The Affected Entities
The enterprises involved in the lawsuit are:
- Jiangmen Meijiasheng Bicycle
- Hong Kong Manchester International Trading
- Shenzhen Aibosi Sport Technology
- Guangzhou Aierfeile Sport Technology
- Individual Tang Shuhui, who the lawsuit alleges was involved in an Amazon selling account.
| Entity | Role |
|---|---|
| Jiangmen Meijiasheng Bicycle | Ebike manufacturer |
| Hong Kong Manchester International Trading | Trading company |
| Shenzhen Aibosi Sport Technology | Sport technology firm |
| Guangzhou Aierfeile Sport Technology | Sport technology firm |
| Tang Shuhui | Individual involved in Amazon selling account |
Compliance Obligations and Broader Implications
This case reflects a widespread problem. Donald Mays, a longtime product safety expert, says “this is a common problem and has been a common problem for quite some time.” The false certification is more prevalent on online marketplaces like Amazon, according to Gabe Knight, a senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports. “Just as consumers are more at risk to buy a counterfeit product, period, from third-party sellers, they are more at risk to buy a product with a fabricated certification mark,” she said.
The trend has troubling implications for electric mobility devices. A US government report published in April 2026 found 45 fatalities between 2017 and 2024 associated with fires related to lithium-ion batteries in mobility devices, 19 of them related to ebikes alone. The New York City Fire Department logged 277 fires tied to lithium-ion batteries in 2024, compared with 268 in 2023, and linked them to ebikes.
Many of the country’s ebike fires were associated with replacement battery packs, as noted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an independent federal agency. The agency has urged consumers to use only micromobility devices “designed, manufactured, and certified for compliance by an accredited laboratory with the applicable consensus safety standards.”
Implications for Trade Compliance
For compliance professionals, this case underscores the need to verify product safety certifications from accredited laboratories and to monitor third-party sellers on online platforms. The use of fraudulent marks can lead to legal injunctions, reputational damage, and potential civil liability. Companies importing or selling ebikes and lithium-ion batteries should ensure their supply chain partners comply with CPSC guidelines and maintain valid certification from nationally recognized testing organizations. The case also demonstrates that regulatory enforcement can extend to online advertising and marketplace listings, requiring ongoing vigilance.
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