About £1m of counterfeit items have been seized following a raid in Salford.
Police officers from Salford East Neighbourhood Policing Team took part in a major operation involving a number of reputable clothing companies.<br><br>Around 13,000 items were discovered at a property on Cambridge Industrial Estate in Lower Broughton. Items ranged from fake designer t-shirts to fake jewellery and footwear.<br><br>Sergeant Dave Stevens from Salford East Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “This was a major find and sends out a clear message to those dealing or thinking of dealing in counterfeit clothes that illegal trading will simply not be tolerated in Salford. <br><br>“The counterfeit goods market is not a victimless crime and such offences threaten the livelihood of any law abiding citizen. Customers who focus on getting a bargain may little realise that they are helping fund the lifestyles of criminals. The authorities can’t tackle this scourge alone and we need people to think before they buy.” And some 20,000 fake camera cases worth an estimated £500,000 were seized during a warrant executed by Trafford Trading Standards under the Trade Mark Act 2004.
The cases, branded as Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Nikon, Pentax and Kodak were seized at a property in Bowdon as part of a joint operation between the Council and Canon.
Also during the search computer equipment, suspected to have been used to sell the cases and other counterfeit items such as camera lenses and fake designer goods, were discovered.
Trading Standards carried out the warrant acting on intelligence gathered from Canon who discovered the counterfeit goods being sold online and carried out a number of test purchases.
A spokesman from Canon Europe, who was present during the operation, said: ‘We have been impressed with the way Trafford Trading Standards have carried out this operation, with excellent organisation and a very positive outcome.
‘It is ultimately the consumer that is impacted by counterfeit products. It is therefore a great result that this operation has seized a significant amount of counterfeit products which are now out of circulation.'<br><br>A regional breakdown of the fight against piracy and counterfeiting in the UK has been revealed in a report. <br>The annual IP (Intellectual Property) Crime Report reveals the extensive action being taken across the country and the significant collaboration between all the agencies involved in tackling intellectual property crime.<br><br>For the 64-page report visit http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ipcreport09.pdf<br><br>There are two sorts of IP crime – digital and physical. <br><br>Digital IP crime is a term that is used to cover criminal activity that relates to digital formats which are protected by copyright. Essentially it covers the copying and distribution of digital files containing music, films, software, video games; on a commercial scale. Physical IP crime covers the counterfeiting of many types of products, where the brand or trade mark of a product has been infringed or copied.<br>The report, which is published by the Intellectual Property Office, reveals millions of fake items were seized through operations into everything from market traders to internet auction sites. <br>Her Majesty Revenue Customs seized over 2100 consignments containing four million items during 2009/10. The goods had an estimated value of £40 million, based on the price of the genuine item.<br>The value of close co-operation was again demonstrated last week when addresses across England and Wales were raided as part of an investigation into the importation and distribution of fake branded clothing.<br>The raids on Wednesday July 21 followed a lengthy investigation by Rhondda Cynon Taff Trading Standards with support from other Trading Standards, police, the UK Border Agency and the IPO’s Intelligence Hub.<br>The various agencies were together able to track thousands of items of counterfeit goods and the raids also saw 25 kilos of Class B controlled drugs being seized.<br>Intellectual Property Minister Baroness Wilcox said: Counterfeiting and piracy are a major threat to the British economy. They take sales from legitimate businesses and put jobs in danger.<br>“Fake goods often pose a real threat to the people buying them. We have seen cigarettes with dangerous levels of chemicals, electrical goods that are a fire risk and toys that are a danger to our children.<br>“I am pleased to see everyone coming together: police, trading standards, industry, the Intellectual Property Office, and others to tackle this menace.<br>“The real key to beating this threat is the public. People must refuse to buy anything they suspect is not genuine and report the seller to their trading standards or police.”<br>The IP Crime Report was produced by the IPO’s IP Crime Group, which consists of government, enforcement agencies and industry groups.<br>It highlights the wide range of fake and pirated products being sold in the UK. Over the last year, Trading Standards departments have dealt with everything from fake toothpaste to fake airplane spare parts and pesticides as well as designer goods, music and film.<br>The report contains figures for goods seized and activity carried out by a range of organisations across the country. <br>It also highlights the value of the Proceeds of Crime Act to fighting piracy and counterfeiting. The act allows enforcement agencies to apply for money made from criminal activities to be confiscated.<br>Kent Police secured its largest ever confiscation order after working closely with the county’s trading standards department.<br>The force secured a £3.2m order against Guarcharan Singh, from Chatham, after he was charged with 43 counts of selling fake goods from his shop and market stall.<br>Giles York, IP Crime Group chairman and Deputy Chief Constable of Sussex Police, said: “The fight against counterfeiting is not a fight against a Del Boy-style character on a market stall. It is a fight against organised criminal gangs who alongside counterfeit and pirated goods smuggle guns, drugs and people.<br>“By working together to share intelligence and develop operations – we are having a real impact. These are real crimes, committed by real criminals. We must all keep up this good work.”<br>The IP Crime Group was formed in 2004 by the Intellectual Property Office to bring together experts from industry, enforcement agencies and government to work together on piracy and counterfeiting issues. The Intellectual Property Office is within the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills and responsible for the national framework of Intellectual Property rights, comprising patents, designs, trade marks and copyright.
