Macau Customs Service (SA) officers on Thursday busted a shop suspected of selling fake products infringing on various brands’ intellectual property rights (IP), involving 57 bogus items worth 879,000 patacas in total, according to the prices set by the retailers, an SA spokesperson said during a press conference on Friday.
A local female shop owner, surnamed Chou, aged 48, was arrested on Thursday, according to the spokesperson, adding that the shop that Chou owns has been in business for nearly two years.
According to the spokesperson, the Macau Customs Service carried out spot checks on local shops on Wednesday and discovered that one fashion outlet in the Horta e Costa area was suspected of selling copyright infringement products.
The spokesperson did not reveal the affected brands.
The spokesperson noted that the bogus items were purchased from a social media platform. The items were purchased at prices ranging from 200 to 2,000 patacas each, and then sold at 1.5 to 1.8 times the purchase price, with one or two pieces sold each month in the local shop.
The spokesperson said that the suspect has been transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP). According to the Industrial Property Code Decree-Law No 97/99/M, the suspect faces a hefty fine and up to six months in jail.
A total of 57 bogus clothing items seized on Thursday, displayed at the Macau Customs Service (SA) headquarters in Barra. – Photo courtesy of TDM
