Fifty-six booked for allegedly selling counterfeit goods
counterfeit goods-crackdown
SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Yonhap) — Fifty-six people have been booked for allegedly selling counterfeit goods ranging from tumblers to luxury bags, the Seoul city government said Wednesday.
The suspects allegedly sold or stored 77,269 fake products, including tumblers emblazoned with logos of popular coffee brands, clothes and jewelry, in violation of the Trademark Act. Their authentic equivalents are valued at some 3.9 billion won (US$3.5 million).
The suspects were booked by the city government’s Special Judicial Police Bureau for Public Safety.
Only 16 were online sellers, but their fake goods accounted for 95 percent of the total and 59 percent of the total value.
Three suspects got their goods on Taobao, a major Chinese online shopping mall, while three others dealt with suppliers in China and Taiwan.
The remaining 50 allegedly acquired products in Seoul’s Dongdaemun shopping district or from local online sellers.
The city government said it plans to notify the Korea Customs Service after further investigation.
By law, violators of the Trademark Act face up to seven years in prison or up to 100 million won in fines.’
This file photo, taken on Oct. 7, 2020, shows knockoffs of luxury brands, including handbags and shoes. (Yonhap)
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