“It is obvious that changes in conduct and inspection procedures of the Czech Trade Inspection, together with personal changes at the General Inspectorate, have started to show also in the inspection activities,” says Martin Kocourek, the Minister of Industry and Trade, adding: “The CTI protects consumers and fair traders. If fakes move from marketplaces to towns’ centres, it is necessary to intervene resolutely.”

According to the words of Jan Štěpánek, the Acting Director General of the CTI, fakes in the originals’ price exceeding CZK 2 million were taken past week in the centre of Prague and in boutiques situated in shopping malls of Prague and Ústí nad Labem. “We have not had such an experience with such a high number of fakes directly in a city centre. Actions repeated in a short period of time significantly increase controls’ effectiveness both in selected shops in city centres and border marketplaces where Sunday actions of our officers were probably not expected,” Štěpánek added.

After expert testimonies were made in cooperation with the intellectual property rights keepers and after having found that it is fakes of trade-marks, administrative proceedings are to be launched with the controlled persons and fines’ amounts will be decided as well as forfeiture of goods and its subsequent liquidation or handing-in to humanitarian purposes.

The CTI will go on carrying out such controls in cooperation with other surveillance bodies.

Textile products, shoes (Burberry, Louis Vuitton) - OC Růže, Prague-Chodov                  

Clothing accessories (Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Chanel) – Provaznická, Prague 1

From March 7 to March 10, inspectors took 197 pieces of products in total. The price of the originals would be about CZK 2 million.

In two workplaces in OC Forum, offering and sale of fakes was proven. 62 pieces of fake products in total (61 pieces of bijouterie and 1 purse bag) were confiscated and stocked away from the reach of controlled persons. The products illegally carried the trade-marks Luis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Dolce a Gabbana a Dior in the originals’ price of about CZK 365,000. Administrative proceedings will be launched with the sellers.

At the same time, the CTI inspectors also checked both selling, offering and stocking of products infringing some intellectual property rights at traditional marketplaces. Results of some of them were as follows:

Within a repeated control action (March 5 and 13) at the marketplace in Hatě u Znojma, the CTI officers found sale and offering of goods infringing some intellectual property rights. Within the both controls, 994 pieces of fakes were taken, including cloth, shoes and fancy goods of trade-marks Adidas, Armani, Arsenal, Bench, Burberry, Converse, Dior, DC, Dolce a Gabbana, Ed Hardy, Gucci, Hasbro, Hello Kitty, Hugo Boss, Chanel, Lacoste, Levi's, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Polo, Prada, Puma, Versace, DC, Ferrari, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Pokémon, Kawasaki a Ferrari. The overall value of the originals was estimated to about CZK 6.3 million.

In the second control not only the officers of the Jihomoravský and Zlínský Inspectorate of the CTI, but also officers of the Ústecký and Liberecký Inspectorate of the CTI participated. On both control actions, members of the Alien Police of the Police of the Czech Republic cooperated.

The action was foregone by a finding that just at the weekend sellers’ activity concerning fakes is on its top. The control was prepared by the General Inspectorate and due to not being known in the region, 10 officers of the Středočeský and Prague Inspectorate participated in the control. At 7 stalls, they took 499 pieces of fakes in total of the trade-marks Burton, Ed Hardy, Adidas, Burberry, Hugo Boss a Luis Vuitton in the estimated originals’ price of about CZK 1.2 million.

On the grounds of an operative agreement with the Criminal Service of the Police of the Czech Republic, a common control action went ahead in the largest Prague’s area SAPA. Together with the CTI, members of the Czech Agricultural and Food Inspection Administration and Veterinary Administration participated.

Three CTI officers for the Central Bohemia Region and the capital city of Prague were very successful having collected 161 pieces of products of so far not very usual assortment, just like rings, bracelets, pendants, but also scarves, socks and other textile products, in the originals’ price of CZK 617,000. These were fakes of trade-marks Luis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Armani, Prada, Ed Hardy a Gant.