Real hit for counterfeiters

Ayra Wang

Customs officers have seized 77,000 suspected counterfeit or copyright infringing goods with an estimated market value of over HK$67 million in 28 cases in the past two weeks.

Assistant Superintendent Tang Wai-hang of the intellectual property investigation bureau said the operation lasted 19 days from October 16 to November 3, and "the total value of seized fake products was the highest in the city."

Some 62,000 of the goods - watches, handbags, phones, accessories, clothes and footwear with an estimated value of HK$44 million - were seized at 30 logistics companies in Kwai Chung, Tuen Mun, Mai Po, Tsing Yi and Yuen Long.

The 15,000 others, along with 13 liters of liquor on which duty was not paid, were found in seven containers from Nansha, Guangdong, at Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal Customs Cargo Examination Compound from October 20 to November 2.

Senior Inspector Priscilla Ngai Pak-hei of the ports and maritime command said the items were hidden well.

"Goods that were hidden in containers made up only 1 to 15 percent of a container's capacity," she said, "and most of the goods were in good quality and packaged separately, and some luxury bags even had fake production certificates."

The goods - imitations of 40 top brands such as Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Apple and Samsung - were supposed to be sent to Malaysia, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands and Iraq, besides being sold in Hong Kong market.

Officials also organized two controlled-delivery operations and shut down an online shop operating out of Wong Chuk Hang and an upstairs retail shop in Kwun Tong.

Two women, aged 32 and 33, were arrested on October 27 in a Wong Chuk Hang industrial building and 400 counterfeit goods worth HK$20,000 seized. A 35-year-old man was arrested on October 30 in an industrial building in Kwun Tong, and some 300 goods with a value of HK$70,000 were seized.

They have been released on bail.

Tang called on the logistics industry to be more alert to counterfeit goods and copyright infringements.

"The industry," he said, "should check with the trademark's owners or authorized agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt when handling cargoes."