UK
Trading Standards destroys fake goods worth around £10,000
Birmingham City Council’s Trading Standards officers revealed a haul of counterfeit branded goods, before destroying the fake designer clothes this week.
The haul – which included fake goods from well-known brands such as Nike, Versace and Gucci, worth around £10,000 – was forfeited by a Birmingham-based trader, following an investigation by the council’s Trading Standards team.
The destruction of these goods comes ahead of British Intellectual Property Day tomorrow (1 July 2020), which highlights the importance of intellectual property – protecting established brand from counterfeiting – to the British economy.
The operation, which took place yesterday (29 June 2020) saw boxes and bags of fake goods being thrown into the back of a refuse lorry and taken away to be destroyed.
Cllr Philip Davis, Chair of the city council’s Licensing and Public Protection Committee, said: “Counterfeiting may be seen as a victimless crime, but it has a significant impact on the economy, costing millions in jobs and lost revenue and is particularly current at this time when the council is supporting legitimate business returning from lockdown.
“Trading Standards regularly seize fake goods which ultimately are deceiving consumers and possibly putting the public at risk. Our officers work with partners to help tackle the distribution of fake goods which may also be dangerous, such as bottles of hand sanitizer which contained a banned substance – seized from a market trader during this pandemic.”
For more information about Trading Standards visit www.birmingham.gov.uk/tradingstandards.
