A man is charged with intentionally trafficking counterfeit Rolex watches. He knew the watches were fake, but he did not know selling fake watches was against the law. He appealed his criminal conviction and claimed that he did not know what he was doing was illegal. Should his conviction be reversed?
His conviction should not be reversed even if he claims that he did not know that selling the watches were illegal.
The Ignorantia juris non excusat clause
This is a clause in the law court that says ignorance is not an excuse in the court of law. According to this clause, this man can not defend himself by putting up an argument that he did not know it was illegal.
With the explanation above his conviction would not be reversed because he has committed the crime.
