Macau Customs Service (SA) officers on Wednesday busted a shop suspected of selling fake products infringing on various brands’ intellectual property rights (IP), involving 138 bogus items worth 3.89 million patacas in total, according to the prices set by the retailers, an SA spokesperson said during a press conference yesterday.
A local female shop owner aged 63, and her sister, a 67-year-old sales assistant, were arrested on Wednesday, according to the spokesperson, adding that the shop has been in business since 2014.
According to the spokesperson, the Macau Customs Service received a tip-off early this month and discovered that a fashion outlet in the San Kio area was suspected of selling copyright infringement products.
The spokesperson did not reveal the affected brands.
The spokesperson noted that the bogus items were shoddily made and were identified as counterfeit products by a brand authenticator. The items were sold at 800 to 1,700 patacas each.
The suspects stayed mum on the sourcing of the bogus goods, the salaries of the shop assistants, how long they had been selling the counterfeit clothes and the number of counterfeit clothes that had been sold, and the Customs officers did not rule out the possibility of more people being involved in the case, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said that the suspects have been transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP). According to the Industrial Property Code Decree-Law No 97/99/M, the suspects face a hefty fine and up to six months in jail.
A total of 138 bogus items of clothing seized on Wednesday are displayed at the Macau Customs Service (SA) headquarters in Barra. – Photo courtesy of TDM
