Macau Customs Service (SA) officers on Monday busted two shops suspected of selling fake watches infringing on various brands’ intellectual property rights (IP), involving 19 bogus items worth 72,000 patacas in total, according to the prices set by the retailers, an SA spokesperson said during a press conference yesterday.
Two local male shop owners, surnamed Van, aged 46, and Sou, aged 53, were arrested on Monday, according to the spokesperson, adding that SA officers did not rule out that more people were involved in the case.
According to the spokesperson, the Macau Customs Service received a report from a woman earlier this month saying that she had bought a watch that was later found to be fake from a shop in Zape.
Upon receiving the report, SA officers carried out spot checks on shops in the Zape and Nape areas that were suspected of selling copyright infringement products.
The spokesperson did not reveal the affected brands.
SA officers seized nine fake watches from each of the two shops in Zape and Nape, and together with the one fake watch that the victim had bought, the number of fake designer watches seized by the officers in the operation amounted to 19, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson noted that the bogus items were purchased online from abroad. The items were purchased at prices ranging from 800 to 2,000 patacas each, and then sold for 3,200 to 5,420 patacas, which were mostly sold to tourists and also local residents.
The spokesperson said that the suspects have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions 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 19 bogus watches seized on Monday are displayed at the Macau Customs Service (SA) headquarters in Barra yesterday. – Photo courtesy of TDM
