TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1980
REDOUBLED EFFORTS AGAINST COUNTERFEITERS
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THE TRADE INVESTIGATION BRANCH OF THE TRADE INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT IS PLANNING TO DOUBLE THE SIZE OF ITS INVESTIGA- TION STAFF TO STEP UP EFFORTS AGAINST COUNTERFEIT GOODS.
ADDRESSING THE ROTARY CLUB OF PENINSULA TODAY (TUESDAY), MR JOHN HOWARD, CHIEF INDUSTRY OFFICER, SAID HOWEVER THAT WHAT WAS REALLY REQUIRED WAS A GREATER PUBLIC AWARENESS OF SUCH MALPRACTICES.
+!
+I HOPE YOU, AS MEMBERS OF ROTARY, AND DOUBTLESS INVOLVED IN VARIOUS COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES, WILL KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS OPEN. IN NO WAY AM I ASKING YOU TO BE COMMON INFORMERS, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT THAT OUR TRADING REPUTATION SHOULD NOT BE TARNISHED BY A RELATIVELY FEW UNSCRUPULOUS TRADERS,+ HE SAID.
+NO COMPLAINANT IS OBLIGED TO GIVE EVIDENCE BEFORE THE COURT SINCE PROFESSIONAL OFFICERS ARE TRAINED TO DO THIS WHERE COUNTERFEIT GOODS ARE FOUND, HE ADDED.
MR HOWARD POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG'S FREE AND OPEN MARKET SITUATION, AND THE DEMANDS OF INCREASINGLY AFFLUENT LOCAL CONSUMERS AND TOURISTS DID LEAVE SCOPE FOR UNSCRUPULOUS MERCHANTS TO PROFITEER IN FAKE PRODUCTS.
DURING 1979, 302 COMPLAINTS WERE INVESTIGATED BY THE BRANCH, RESULTING IN THE SEIZURE OF COUNTERFEIT MERCHANDISE VALUED ON THE MARKET AT OVER $3.7 MILLION AND FINES OF $754 000 WERE IMPOSED BY THE COURTS. A COUNTERFEIT WATCH MANUFACTURER WAS SENTENCED TO FOUR MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT, SO FAR THIS YEAR FINES OF $38 000 HAVE BEEN IMPOSED AND GOODS VALUED AT $970 000 WERE SEIZED.
ON CONTROLLING LEGISLATION, MR HOWARD SAID THE EXISTING MERCHANDISE MARKS ORDINANCE PROVIDES PENALTIES UP TO $50 000 AND TWO YEARS' IMPR18OMMENT IN THE LOWER COURTS, AND UP TO $100 000 AND FIVE YEARS' IMPRISONMENT IN THE HIGHER COURTS, AND LATER THIS YEAR SHOULD SEE THE ENACTMENT OF A TRADE DESCRIPTION BILL.
+THIS BILL WILL CLOSELY FOLLOW THE UK TRADE DESCRIPTIONS ACT, AS FAR AS ITS APPLICATION TO GOODS GOES. ONE ADVANTAGE WILL BE THAT A WARRANT WILL NO LONGER BE REQUIRED AS A PRE-REQUISITE TO THE SEARCH OF PREMISES, HE ADDED.
DESCRIBING THE FORMS OF FALSE MARKING OF PRODUCTS, MR HOWARD SAID THE MOST COMMON WAS TO APPLY WELL-KNOWN INTERNATIONAL BRAND NAMES TO GOODS. ANOTHER WAS TO APPLY A FALSE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN TO GOODS WHERE THAT COUNTRY MIGHT HAVE A REPUTATION FOR QUALITY IN FASHION, TREND AND CRAFTSMANSHIP.
BUT
+ IN SOME CASES THE FALSE MARKS ARE APPLIED TO LOCALLY MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS, WHILE OTHERS ARE IMPORTED, HAVING BEEN ORDERED DY LOCAL TRADERS WHO WELL KNOW THE GOODS ARE FAKE THE PRICE RIGHT. FASHIONWEAR HAS BECOME A PRIME TARGET FOR SUCH RACKETEERS, AND LEATHERWEAR, NECKTIES, SCARVES AND FASHION GARMENTS FIGURE PROMINENTLY IN THIS UNSCRUPULOUS COUNTERFEITING.
/+OTHER MERCHANDISE,