F-NEWS Editor's Pick
Stitched up – labels hit back at replica trade
They are emblazoned with top fashion labels such as Burberry, Mulberry, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, but can be bought for a fraction of the normal cost at car boot sales, in markets and on websites offering "designer replicas". Now, as France and Italy step up their fight against the multimillion-pound industry in counterfeit designer fashions, there are calls for the UK to follow suit and clamp down on the trade in fakes.
John Whittingdale, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Intellectual Property Group, said: "It should be given higher priority: it does real damage to our luxury British brands. There is a case for increasing penalties for knowingly selling fake goods, and for making it easier to obtain convictions. There is a need for the Government, and the trading standards authority, to take it more seriously, not least because those responsible are often linked to organised crime."
Susie Winters, director-general of the Alliance Against IP Theft, said: "Greater priority should be given to counterfeiting and intellectual property crime, from government and the police. There is a clear link between counterfeit goods and organised crime, with the profits from these illegal goods used to fund serious criminal activity. It is not victimless crime, and we need to work with trading standards and the police to clamp down on the counterfeit trade."
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John Whittingdale, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Intellectual Property Group, said: "It should be given higher priority: it does real damage to our luxury British brands. There is a case for increasing penalties for knowingly selling fake goods, and for making it easier to obtain convictions. There is a need for the Government, and the trading standards authority, to take it more seriously, not least because those responsible are often linked to organised crime."
Susie Winters, director-general of the Alliance Against IP Theft, said: "Greater priority should be given to counterfeiting and intellectual property crime, from government and the police. There is a clear link between counterfeit goods and organised crime, with the profits from these illegal goods used to fund serious criminal activity. It is not victimless crime, and we need to work with trading standards and the police to clamp down on the counterfeit trade."
Continue Reading »
