Fake fertiliser racket busted; accused points finger towards TN
A detailed probe has established that a systematic network from Tamil Nadu is behind the sale of fake fertiliser in the State. After the sale of fake potash came to light at Hanubalu cooperative society, the accused Mallikarjun of Nittur was subjected to interrogation. He spilled the beans over the sale of fake fertiliser racket in the State, which he said was being operated from Tamil Nadu.
The sale of fake fertiliser has given sleepless nights to the farmers, who were already reeling under various problems including that of wild jumbo menace and insufficient rains. The sale of fake potash to farmers from Agriculture Credit Cooperative Society in Hanubalu and at Changadihalli, Belur and Narve villages had come to light recently. Three persons from Belur and four from the taluks are already in judicial custody.Assistant Director of Agriculture department G H Yogesh, who is conducting the probe said that the fake product was supplied from Tamil Nadu to Mallikarjuna of Nittur, which was in turn supplied to Naganna of Yaduru village in Alur taluk. This was transported to the cooperative associations and a few shops through locals Virupaksha and Milan Gowda, and was sold to gullible farmers. Yogesh had visited Vaniyambadi in Vellore district in Tamil Nadu, where fake potash was being produced for verification. According to him, there are several leather factories in Vaniyambadi, where salt is being used for processing and preventing leather from decaying. The miscreants after collecting the discarded salt, sieve it and mix it with red oxide and red colour and prepare fake potash.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/338990/fake-fertiliser-racket-busted-accused.html
Lear MoreKOHLER Raids Counterfeit Center, Destroys Over 700 Products
Under the patronage of Dubai’s Department of Economic Development’s (DED) Commercial Control and Consumer Protection Division, kitchen and bath industry giant KOHLER Middle East has succeeded in seizing and destroying over 700 counterfeit products located at a major furniture store in the Emirate. The sanitary products labeled “KOHLAR” were traced back to a company which refused to disclose the name of the manufacturer. Local authorities fined the company $13,859 and ordered the destruction of all of its creations. Investigations are underway to determine the identity of the manufacturer, possibly a sanitary ware company headquartered in China. “In addition to these practices being harmful to the market, the products present a degree of risk for their purchaser,” Jerome Michel, Kohler EMEA Managing Director, said. “However, customers who buy the real products know the difference,” he explained. The raid is part of KOHLER’s ongoing efforts to protect its intellectual property rights and consistently monitor its products in the market. The industry pioneer adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards counterfeit products to guarantee consumer protection. Mohamed Nada, KOHLER Regional Marketing Manager, said: “We always go to great lengths in ensuring that our customers receive top quality products. Hence, we were adamant on tracing the source of these products and completely destroying them.” “The operation has been implemented with the highly appreciated and continuous support of DED’s Commercial Control and Consumer Protection Division,” he added.
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NYC debates crackdown on counterfeit luxury goods
Bargain hunters from around the world flock to Manhattan’s Chinatown for bags, jewellery and other accessories bursting onto sidewalks from storefronts along Canal Street. Among the goods are luxury items labelled “Prada” or “Louis Vuitton” or some other luxury brand — counterfeits sold for a pittance. In some cases, handbags going for $2,000 on Fifth Avenue can be had downtown for, say, $20. They’re seductive fakes. Until now, the law enforcement focus has been on catching the sellers. But if a proposed bill passes the City Council, customers caught buying counterfeits could be punished with a fine of up to $1,000, or up to a year in prison. The New York City legislation, if passed, would be the first in the United States to criminalize the purchase of counterfeits. Council member Margaret Chin, who introduced the bill, said at a public hearing Thursday that counterfeits deprive the city of at least $1 billion in tax revenue a year that could support community improvements. What’s more, she says, the counterfeit trade has been linked to child labour and the funding of organized crime and terror groups. “For tourists, it’s fun, it’s a bit of adventure,” Chin says. “We have to let people know that if you engage in this activity you are committing a crime.” On the street, day after day, sellers press their hard-sell routines. “Rolex! Chanel!” a man on a street corner whispers someone walking by. “Get this before the police do!” he adds with a grin.
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Cops book supermarket for selling fake cosmetics
Multinational consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) and city police conducted a joint raid at Apna Bhandar, a supermarket at Mahajan market in Sitabuldi, on Saturday. Police registered an offence against the store management for copyrights violation after fake products of the brand were found to have been sold by the store. Following a complaint from a consumer, P&G approached Sitabuldi police for conducting a raid on the supermarket which had put up several fake products of the multinational cosmetic brand. Several fake products of the multinational company were found on display and in the stock at the supermarket. The supermarket also had several fake P&G products which the brand does not manufacture. Three cartons of the bogus merchandize and some items which had been put up for sale were seized by the cops, which later registered an offence after receiving a formal
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Missouri company pleads guilty to importing $1.8 million in products with counterfeit safety labels
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Missouri company pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to importing thousands of lamps from China bearing counterfeit safety certification labels. This guilty plea is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) GuildMaster, Inc., of Springfield, Mo., represented in court by company president Stephen Crowder, pleaded guilty to the felony offense of trafficking in goods with counterfeit marks. The company manufactures and imports furniture, lighting, accessories and wall art. “Electrical appliances that are untested and unregulated or misrepresent their safety certification can present a safety risk to consumers,” said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of HSI Chicago, which oversees Missouri. “While law enforcement is working to exclude from the U.S.-based marketplace products that misrepresent their safety endorsements, it is imperative that consumers be aware of the potential danger counterfeit items can pose.” “This prosecution sends the important message that companies importing goods from overseas may not gain a competitive advantage over those that play by the rules, by cutting corners when it comes to safety or intellectual property rights,” said Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1307/130715springfield.htm
Lear MoreCounterfeit Coach, Louis Vuitton, Prada under fire in NYC
Bargain hunters from around the world flock to Manhattan’s Chinatown for bags, jewelry and other accessories bursting onto sidewalks from storefronts along Canal Street. Among the goods are luxury items labeled “Prada” or “Louis Vuitton” or some other luxury brand — counterfeits sold for a pittance. In some cases, handbags going for $2,000 on Fifth Avenue can be had downtown for, say, $20. They’re seductive fakes Until now, the law enforcement focus has been on catching the sellers. But if a proposed bill passes the City Council, customers caught buying counterfeits could be punished with a fine of up to $1,000, or up to a year in prison. The New York City legislation, if passed, would be the first in the United States to criminalize the purchase of counterfeits. Council member Margaret Chin, who introduced the bill, said at a public hearing Thursday that counterfeits deprive the city of at least $1 billion in tax revenue a year that could support community improvements. What’s more, she says, the counterfeit trade has been linked to child labor and the funding of organized crime and terror groups. “For tourists, it’s fun, it’s a bit of adventure,” Chin says. “We have to let people know that if you engage in this activity you are committing a crime.” On the street, day after day, sellers press their hard-sell routines. “Rolex! Chanel!” a man on a street corner whispers someone walking by. “Get this before the police do!” he adds with a grin. Buyers are walked to a designated spot where they’re quietly shown photos of the desired goods. Choices are then signaled to another person who disappears to an undisclosed location — a vendor’s back room, a nearby apartment, the back of a van. The item arrives within minutes, and cash exchanges hands.
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Counterfeit goods worth millions seized New Era
A joint operation by the police in the Oshana Region and counterfeit experts from Interpol netted N$12.9 million worth of counterfeit goods from Chinese shops last week. The joint operation took place in the towns of Ondangwa, Ongwediva, Oshakati and Oshikuku just before the beginning of last weekend. The items were recovered from at least 38 Chinese shops targetted in the specialised joint operation. Oshana Police Regional Commander Commissioner Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa said police received several complaints from local business people that Chinese shops were selling counterfeit products, which were sold at much cheaper prices and were killing businesses that offer genuine products. Some consumers, especially women, allegedly complained that they and their babies developed skin reactions after using sanitary pads and nappies bought from the Chinese shops. The items confiscated include 6 277 baby products such as nappies, body creams, lotions and soaps among others valued at N$1.6 million. At least 11 385 adult cosmetic products, including perfumes, ointments and sanitary pads valued at N$6.2 million were also seized. Police also recovered a total of 11 400 pieces of counterfeit branded clothing items, including shoes and clothes of top brand names such as Nike, Adidas, Puma and Reebok among others valued at N$5.6 million. Apart from searching the Chinese shops, police also raided open markets in the area and confiscated 1 630 fake cigarettes worth N$6 540. Kashihakumwa said that those that were found with the counterfeit products are still to be fined and arrests may even be made soon.
http://www.newera.com.na/articles/52408/Counterfeit-goods-worth-millions-seized
Lear MoreSpotting counterfeit golf gear
As golf’s technology gets more advanced, the cost of golf clubs keeps going up. That can bring out the deal seeker in all of us. But those high prices are also making high end golf equipment the perfect target for fakes. If you want to win like Tiger Woods or swing like Titleist sensation Adam Scott, the cost of gearing up for the game can be $2,000 for the newest technology. The search for deals sends some money-conscious golfers online, but before you click “buy” be warned – “They’re like ‘hey I’m getting a great deal,’ well, you get what you pay for,” Jason Rocker ofKeepgolfreal.com said. A simple search can send you to a legitimate looking site; counterfeit clubs can still cost hundreds of dollars, which may seem pretty expensive for a fake. “They are making it just enticing enough to say that seems legitimate enough in terms of price that it’s a good deal, but not so outrageous that it’s a dead giveaway,” Rocker said. To the naked eye counterfeit golf clubs and golf balls look very similar to the real deal. The real difference is inside. “When you open them up, a typical club is weighted, it’s hollowed out intentionally to make sure that it has the right angle, the right flow, the right weight. The counterfeit club is solid; you may as well be hitting the ball with a ball-peen hammer,” Rocker said.
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In China‚ fake European wine more worrying than tariffs
Bruno Paumard, the cellar master at a vineyard in China, can’t stop laughing while describing a bottle of supposedly French wine a friend gave him two years ago. It’s white wine, with a label proclaiming it is from the vineyards of Romanee-Conti, the bottle bearing the logo that is on bottles of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, and declares its origin as Montpellier in southern France. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, better known for highly prized and highly priced vintages from France’s Burgundy region, makes only a tiny amount of white wine, labeled Montrachet. It has nothing to do with the equally prestigious Lafite, which is from the Bordeaux region, and neither brand is produced anywhere near Montpellier.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/09/china-wine-fakes-idUSL3N0EI0YJ20130609
Lear MoreWorld Anti-Counterfeiting Day
The automobile industry will mark World Anti-Counterfeiting Day on June 8 by urging customers to use genuine auto spare parts. The initiative is being undertaken by the Anti-Counterfeiting Group of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Over 1,075 dealers, stockists and distributors of two-wheeler and four-wheeler vehicle manufacturers such as Bajaj, Hero MotoCorp, TVS, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Volkswagen India and Volvo Eicher are participating in this awareness drive.
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