Above all, findings are very alarming as they show that, besides market places, fakes of branded products are offered also in boutiques, including luxury shops in city centres and at shopping malls. Therefore the CTIA is forced to seek for new ways to eliminate the sale of fakes to minimum.
After inspectors had found out that offering of fakes increases during the weekends, they changed their days off into work days and they visited traditional market places popular especially among foreign consumers just at the weekends. The increased shopping activity helped the inspectors prove offers of various products infringing some intellectual property rights.
Experts from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and members of the REACT association took part in controls throughout the Plzeňský and Karlovarský Regions together with inspectors from a neighbouring inspectorate. Cooperation with the Alien Police Service is traditional in terms of such controls. Concrete results in this field of surveillance are as follows:
Tržnice Hraničná u Kraslic 3. 4. 2011:
After inspectors had found out that offering of fakes increases during the weekends, they changed their days off into work days and they visited traditional market places popular especially among foreign consumers just at the weekends. The increased shopping activity helped the inspectors prove offers of various products infringing some intellectual property rights.
Experts from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and members of the REACT association took part in controls throughout the Plzeňský and Karlovarský Regions together with inspectors from a neighbouring inspectorate. Cooperation with the Alien Police Service is traditional in terms of such controls. Concrete results in this field of surveillance are as follows:
Tržnice Hraničná u Kraslic 3. 4. 2011:
Overall 360 pieces of textile products and shoes in the estimated prices of originals of ca CZK 551,350 were taken; foremost these were fakes of the Ed Hardy trade-mark. Members of the Customs Offices of Plzeň and Cheb provided protection and help within the controls.
Tržnice Potůčky 10. 4. 2011:
Tržnice Potůčky 10. 4. 2011:
In total 1,119 pieces of fakes were taken; most frequently they concerned the Ed Hardy trade-mark, to a lower extent there were fakes of Burton and Burberry trade-marks and imitations of music records in the total amount of CZK 992,200. Alien Police Service and representatives of trade-marks’ owners participated in the controls.
Tržnice Železná Ruda 12. 4. 2011:
Also a small action in cooperation with members of Customs Office brought its results - 154 pieces of fakes (textile goods, fancy goods and 2 pieces of watches) mostly concerned the trade-mark Ed Hardy again, and in lower numbers there were the Bench, Jack Wolfskin, Puma, Burberry a Calvin Klein trade-marks.
Plzeň and Karlovy Vary:
Tržnice Železná Ruda 12. 4. 2011:
Also a small action in cooperation with members of Customs Office brought its results - 154 pieces of fakes (textile goods, fancy goods and 2 pieces of watches) mostly concerned the trade-mark Ed Hardy again, and in lower numbers there were the Bench, Jack Wolfskin, Puma, Burberry a Calvin Klein trade-marks.
Plzeň and Karlovy Vary:
Simultaneously with the inspections at marketplaces, the CTIA inspectors focused on shops, including luxury premises and boutiques at shopping malls. Offering of products illegally labelled with trade-marks, especially Ed Hardy and Burberry, was found again. Until now, in 15 workplaces in Plzeň 375 pieces of fakes were taken in the estimated originals’ price of ca CZK 1,155,450. These were above all scarves, kerchiefs, underwear, handbags, shopping bags and shoes. Fakes were found also in similar control actions in Karlovy Vary.
Tržnice Hatě 14. 4. 2011:
Despite the CTIA inspectors monitor and control this particular marketplace regularly, it is not possible to wipe out the selling, offering and stocking of goods infringing some intellectual property rights. 321 pieces of fakes of clothing, shoes, rings and handbags in the estimated originals’ price of CZK 843,650 were confiscated within the control at 6 stalls. The Police of the Czech Republic – the Alien Police Znojmo – participated in the control action together with 5 CTIA inspectors.
Vyšší Brod and Studánky 7. 4. 2011:
On the grounds of their previous work, 6 CTIA inspectors of the Středočeský and Prague Inspectorate were sure about the result of the following control action. In 3 stalls they took 562 pieces of fakes of textile, shoes, rings and handbags in the estimated originals’ price of CZK 838,250. Above all, these concerned fashion trade-marks Adidas, Billabong, Burberry, Burton, Diesel, Ed Hardy, LV, Nike, Puma and others.
Simultaneously, 2 inspectors checked one workplace in the Studánky village and they confiscated 70 pieces of fakes of watches of luxury trade-marks A.Lange & Sohne, AP Audemars Piguet, BVLGARI, Hublot, IWC, Officine Panerai, Omega, Patek Philippe, Tag Heuer and others whose price would, considering the original products’ prices, would exceed 15.5 mil. CZK.
Similar inspection activity will be held also in the following period, even though it is obvious that selling and offering products infringing some intellectual property rights will maintain with regard to the persisting consumers’ interest. The CTIA experience shows that at the sale spots there are only samples available and that stocks for sale of such products are out of the sale area. Detection and control of these spaces is, however, out of the competence of the Czech Trade Inspection Authority. It can be estimated that the number of the products infringing IPR and taken within the CTIA controls stands maximally for 10% of the overall number of offered fakes in border regions.
Intensive cooperation with locally appropriate trade licensing offices, concretely in terms of identifying sellers and marking of sale spaces in compliance with the Trade Licensing Act, is considered to be one of the conditions for successful struggle against fakes in the respective field. Within the controls, evidence of sellers provided by the operators of the market places is necessary.
Tržnice Hatě 14. 4. 2011:
Despite the CTIA inspectors monitor and control this particular marketplace regularly, it is not possible to wipe out the selling, offering and stocking of goods infringing some intellectual property rights. 321 pieces of fakes of clothing, shoes, rings and handbags in the estimated originals’ price of CZK 843,650 were confiscated within the control at 6 stalls. The Police of the Czech Republic – the Alien Police Znojmo – participated in the control action together with 5 CTIA inspectors.
Vyšší Brod and Studánky 7. 4. 2011:
On the grounds of their previous work, 6 CTIA inspectors of the Středočeský and Prague Inspectorate were sure about the result of the following control action. In 3 stalls they took 562 pieces of fakes of textile, shoes, rings and handbags in the estimated originals’ price of CZK 838,250. Above all, these concerned fashion trade-marks Adidas, Billabong, Burberry, Burton, Diesel, Ed Hardy, LV, Nike, Puma and others.
Simultaneously, 2 inspectors checked one workplace in the Studánky village and they confiscated 70 pieces of fakes of watches of luxury trade-marks A.Lange & Sohne, AP Audemars Piguet, BVLGARI, Hublot, IWC, Officine Panerai, Omega, Patek Philippe, Tag Heuer and others whose price would, considering the original products’ prices, would exceed 15.5 mil. CZK.
Similar inspection activity will be held also in the following period, even though it is obvious that selling and offering products infringing some intellectual property rights will maintain with regard to the persisting consumers’ interest. The CTIA experience shows that at the sale spots there are only samples available and that stocks for sale of such products are out of the sale area. Detection and control of these spaces is, however, out of the competence of the Czech Trade Inspection Authority. It can be estimated that the number of the products infringing IPR and taken within the CTIA controls stands maximally for 10% of the overall number of offered fakes in border regions.
Intensive cooperation with locally appropriate trade licensing offices, concretely in terms of identifying sellers and marking of sale spaces in compliance with the Trade Licensing Act, is considered to be one of the conditions for successful struggle against fakes in the respective field. Within the controls, evidence of sellers provided by the operators of the market places is necessary.