LVMH, Google unite against fake online luxury goods
PARIS: French luxury products group LVMH and Internet search engine Google have agreed to work together to fight the sale of counterfeit goods online, the two firms said on Thursday.
The agreement ends nearly 10 years of litigation over complaints by LVMH – owner of top luxury labels in everything from champagne to luggage – that the Google Adwords key words service helped counterfeiters sell their products on the back of LVMH brands.
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Philippines wages war on crooked customs agents
MANILA, September 3, 2014 (AFP) – Standing near mountains of goods destined to be smuggled through the Philippines’ biggest port, the nation’s customs chief admits that being on the frontline of the president’s war on graft is overwhelming.”I’ve never seen anything like it,” John Sevilla said, commenting on a pervasive culture of bribery, extortion and stealing at a government agency that collects revenues equivalent to 20 percent of the nation’s budget.”There’s no secret about the fact that this is not an agency which inspires a lot of trust and confidence among our people.”But Sevilla, a former Goldman Sachs executive, has bold plans for systemic change that are showing early signs of success.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/4144/philippines-wages-war-on-crooked-customs-agents/
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Brief: UK shopkeeper jailed for selling fake washing powder
Washing powderA UK man has been sent to prison for 18 months after being found guilty of selling counterfeit washing powder, shampoo and conditioner from his shop in Leyton, London.Ali Riza Bozdag was also ordered to pay £5,000-worth of legal costs and also faces a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) confiscation order which will be decided at a later date, reports the East London and West Essex Guardian.Bozdag’s activities were discovered after customs intercepted 2,640 8kg boxes of fake washing powder en route to his business premises.
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European operation smashes fake medicines ring
Eurojust and Europol logosPolice from several European countries have seized millions of fake medicines, mainly erectile dysfunction drugs, worth an estimated €10m.The one-day operation – spearheaded by Europol and EU judicial unit Eurojust and involving police forces from Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain and the UK – also resulted in 12 arrests and the seizure of more than €7.5m in cash, bank accounts and assets such as cars.
The raids marked the culmination of an investigation first started back in 2012 that targeted a particular organised crime network deeply involved in the fake medicines trade in Europe. The counterfeit medicines targeted by the operation were imported into the EU from Asia and contain “incorrect dosages and ingredients which pose a serious health hazard”.
Lear MoreThree men from Loughton and east London arrested after police uncover suspected smuggling plot
Three men have been arrested after a raid led to the discovery of a suspected tobacco smuggling plot worth an estimated £2.4 million.The suspects, two from Loughton and one from Forest Gate, all in their late 40s, were arrested on suspicion of tobacco smuggling under the Customs and Management Act 1979.HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers, Essex Police and the National Crime Agency seized 8.5 million cigarettes and 30kg of shisha tobacco as it was unloaded from a container at farmland in Abridge on August 20.
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Forest Gate man among trio arrested on suspicion of tobacco smuggling
A man from Forest Gate is among three arrested on suspicion of smuggling tobacco and cigarettes worth an estimated £2.4 million. They were arrested, and illicit cigarettes and tobacco seized, after a raid by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) into a suspected tobacco smuggling plot.
HMRC Officers, supported by Essex Police and the National Crime Agency, seized the 8.5 million cigarettes and 30kg of shisha tobacco as they were being unloaded from a container on August 20 at farmland in the Abridge area of Essex. The haul had arrived in the UK through London Gateway Docks from Dubai. Officers also searched premises in Loughton, Essex, and east London, seizing computers, mobile phones and paperwork.
Lear MoreDoes Alibaba’s IPO Mean No More Fake Luxury Goods?
Liz Flora of Jing Daily believes that Alibaba’s IPO is unlikely to decrease the prominence of counterfeit luxury goods on its platformIt’s official: after months of anticipation, Alibaba is set to hit the market with its U.S. IPO after a two-week global tour to pitch the stock.
In order to gear up for the major new milestone in the company’s history, it has been fervently trying to do away with the reputation that its e-tail sites Tmall and Taobao are hotbeds for fake and gray-market luxury goods. The company faces an uphill battle, however—meaning that luxury brands shouldn’t expect a quick revolution when it comes to taming China’s behemoth fake goods market.
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Lebanese counterfeiters arrested
Lebanese authorities have arrested a gang who forged Lebanese and Arab government seals, which aided the movement of terrorists.The 14-strong gang has been accused of printing fake passports and forging entry permits to several Arab states.
According to Lebanon’s Daily Star, security forces have confiscated seals of official offices in Lebanon, Libya, UAE, Morocco, Jordan, Syria and Palestine. An estimated 150 seals for Lebanese government offices were confiscated during the raid, including for the country’s vehicle registry centre; general security; finance and labour ministries; customs department; engineering and farmers’ unions; public notaries; religious courts; property inspectorate; and banks.
http://www.securitydocumentworld.com/article-details/i/11700/
Lear MoreSON Seeks Public Cooperation To Curb Importation Of Fake Products
Dr Joseph Odumodu, the Director-General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has called for public cooperation to curb the importation and use of inferior products in the country. Odumodu made the call during interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.
He called for collective efforts in the fight against importation of fake products and counterfeits, adding that the fight could only be won with the support of all Nigerians. Odumodu held that such support for the agency’s efforts in the campaign against fake products could lead to the end of importation of fake products. He said the use of inferior products affected the growth of the country’s economy adversely as it depreciated the value of companies and killed businesses.
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Truck driver arrested after more than 15,000 kg of tobacco seized at border crossing
MONTREAL, Que. – A trucker is in some serious heat after the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the RCMP and the Sûreté du Québec tobaccoworked together to discover he had attempted to smuggle more than 15,000 kg of contraband tobacco at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle port of entry.The man was driving a tractor semi-trailer and upon a complete inspection at the port, border service officers discovered the tobacco behind boxes of vegetables.
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