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THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1985
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BUSY YEAR AGAINST COUNTERFEITERS
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OFFICERS OF THE TRADE CONTROLS INVESTIGATION BRANCH (TCIB) OF THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT HAD ANOTHER BUSY YEAR FIGHTING AGAINST THE MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION OF COUNTERFEIT GOODS, THE PRINCIPAL INDUSTRY OFFICER OF THE BRANCH, MR JOHN HOWARD, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
REVIEWING THE BRANCH'S WORK OVER 1984 AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY, MR HOWARD SAID THAT HIS BRANCH HAD COMPLETED 752 INVESTIGATIONS, REPRESENTING A 13 PER CENT INCREASE OVER 1983. THE SEIZURES OF OFFENDING GOODS IN 1984 ROSE TO 731 FROM 603 IN 1983, AN INCREASE OF 21 PER CENT,
+IN TERMS OF VALUE, $32.2 MILLION WORTH OF COUNTERFEIT GOODS WERE SEIZED AS COMPARED WITH $20.8 MILLION IN 1983, AN INCREASE OF 55 PER CENT.
+A TOTAL OF 469 PERSONS OR FIRMS WERE PROSECUTED RESULTING IN FINES OF $2.2 MILLION AND SEVEN OFFENDERS WERE GIVEN JAIL SENTENCES, + HE SAID,
COPIED GOODS SEIZED MAINLY WERE FASHIONWARE, WATCHES, CHINESE MEDICINAL PRODUCTS, FOODSTUFFS AND COMPUTERS AND THE IR ACCESSORIES.
COMMENTING ON THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF SEIZURES, MR HOWARD SAID THIS COULD BE MAINLY ATTRIBUTED TO INCREASED AWARENESS BY TRADEMARK OWNERS, INCREASED VIGILANCE AT THE CUSTOMS ENTRY AND EXIT POINTS AS WELL AS CLOSER LIAISON WITH THE POLICE, THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE CONSUMER COUNCIL, THE HONG KONG TOURIST ASSOCIATION, THE WATCH INDUSTRY AND OTHER ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN FIGHTING COUNTERFEITING.
+TRADING IN COUNTERFEIT GOODS IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE AND THE OFFENDERS ARE LIABLE TO HEAVY PENALTIES,+ MR HOWARD WARNED.
YOUTH LEADERS SET GOOD EXAMPLE
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YOUTH LEADERS OF THE 1984 SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMME HAD SET VERY GOOD EXAMPLES OF HOW TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY THROUGH ACTIVE PARTICIPATION, THE SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
MR AKERS-JONES. WHO IS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMME POLICY COMMITTEE, SAID HE HOPED THOSE INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAMME WOULD CONTINUE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO FOLLOW THE IR EXAMPLE TO MAKE THE 1985 SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMME ANOTHER SUZY
THE THEMES