50M worth of Counterfeit products seized
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) seized over 50 Million THB worth of counterfeit goods, mostly being fake brand name eyeglasses. Police Colonel Paisit Wongmueng from the DSI, Police Lieutenant Colonel Niruti Patanarat from the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) and representatives from Satyapon & Partners IP Law Firm reported the discovery of counterfeit goods including eyeglasses, belts, baseball caps, and other fake goods in Saraburi Province.
The DIP investigations found information on a group that was smuggling in counterfeit goods into the nation. The goods are brought in by cargo shipments before they are moved and hidden in 2 main buildings located in Saraburi. Officials gathered the necessary documents before a search warrant was issued. Counterfeit products are very popular in Thailand. It is more common to find fake goods being sold near the border while the main distribution channels are through online shopping such as Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, and other applications. The product is paid for via bank transfers or credit cards then the product is normally delivered to the customer by post. Fake goods used to be commonly sold in markets across Thailand, including MBK the famous Bangkok mall. It is harder to find now as officials have been working hard to catch counterfeit sellers.
A Search warrant was issued by the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court. Officials searched two commercial buildings on 18 December 2019. Representatives of the brands were involved in the search to point out the infringed trademarks. A total of 18,000 counterfeit products were discovered in the search. With the discovery of 140,000 eyeglasses without the proper importation documents. Together the search led to 158,000 products worth approximately 50 Million THB.
The products found are in violation of the Trademark Act B.E. 2534 and the Customs Act B.E. 2560. The Investigation will continue to find parties related to the charges for further prosecution.
FB Caption: A total of 158,000 products were seized, including counterfeit products with IP infringement.
Source: INN News
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