Customs seizes over 30,000 counterfeit toys arriving at port in Charleston
Over $120,000 of counterfeit toys were taken by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents as they arrived at Charleston port, WTOC reports.
Trademarks belonging to Saban Brands, which holds the rights to Power Rangers, and Danjaq, which owns the copyright on “James Bond 007” were found as part of the shipment, as were trademarks for Apple Inc. and Cartoon Network, according to WTOC.
The shipment’s origin was China, and WTOC reports that it arrived in late June headed for an importer in North Carolina, according to Rob Brisley, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.
WTOC reported that in addition to the financial impact to rights holders, counterfeit products pose safety concerns because their manufacturers have no reason to adhere to safety guidelines when it comes to production or materials according to Robert Fencel, director of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency’s Charleston Area Port.
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/state/south-carolina/article164363777.html
Lear MoreNeither an Authentic Product nor a Counterfeit: The Growing Popularity of Shanzhai Products in Global Markets.
Counterfeits have been a longstanding concern to global brand manufactures. However, recently, a new product category that partly imitates and partly innovates under the term shanzhai has entered into market. Shanzhai products mimic original leading brands through visual or functional similarities and may also provide additional features. Given this new copycat phenomenon, our study for the first time conceptually distinguishes shanzhai products from counterfeits, theoretically compares the values of consumers choosing shanzhai products versus counterfeits, and empirically tests such differences in one integrative model. Specifically, shanzhai buyers value product functional benefits more than counterfeit buyers, while counterfeit buyers value status consumption, yet experience less self‐clarity than shanzhai buyers. Our findings offer important implications for imitative innovation literature as well as for practitioners.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cjas.1501
Lear More
INDIA’S COASTLINE PROTECTION FLEET – AN OVERVIEW
India is a predominantly maritime nation, with a coastline of 7,517 km. This influences all the spheres of Indian lifestyle, from trade to tourism. India’s peninsular orientation dominates trade connectivity with the rest of the world. Consequently, it is seen that safe sea trade is a direct influencer of the economic prosperity of the country. Even today, 90% of India’s trade, by volume, is made via sea routes, making security and safety imperative.
Tourism has developed in the coastal regions of India, necessitating better safety equipment and technological efficiency in boats and ships. Additionally, the vast biodiversity of our marine ecosystem needs constant protection and conservation. The rising threat of piracy and terrorism makes border control a very serious matter.
Given the influence of the seas on the economic and social stability of India, a strong defence force for the protection of the coast and marine territories is important. As we have seen previously, the responsibility of protecting our coastline is broadly divided between three principal forces, viz., the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard, and the Border Security Force.
In this article, we see what the functions are, in maritime protection, and the vessels used by these forces that help them work efficiently.
Avenues of Marine Protection
Maritime Security
Protection of India’s territorial integrity, residents, and offshore assets from external, seaborne threats is the principal avenue of marine protection, handled by the Indian Navy. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the Navy to deter conflict and coercion in these waters.
Coastal and Offshore Defence
Coastal and offshore defence is a part of maritime security and is primarily focused along the coastline, baseline, internal waters, and to an extent in the territorial waters. Though the overall management of the coastal and offshore defence operations falls under the purveyance of the Indian Navy, services are provided by other state and central forces such as the Indian Coast Guard, Border Security Force, State Police, Other Armed Forces, Central Industrial Security Force, Intelligence Agencies, Customs and Immigration Authorities, Port Trust Authority, and Shipping and Energy Operators.
https://www.shmgroup.com/blog/indias-coastline-protection-fleet-an-overview/
Lear More
Burberry burns unsold products worth £28.6 million to guard against counterfeiting; is it ethical?
Reportedly, the retailers said that the measure was much needed to prevent illegal counterfeiting by ensuring the supply chain remains intact.
Luxury label Burberry destroyed unsold clothes, accessories, cosmetic products and perfume worth more than £28 million (more than Rs 250 crore) over the past one year. This step was taken to guard the brand’s intellectual property against counterfeiting. As per Guardian‘s report, in a practice understood to be common across the retail industry, the luxury brand burned products including £10.4 million worth of beauty items. Reportedly, the retailers said that the measure was much needed to prevent illegal counterfeiting by ensuring the supply chain remains intact.
However, industry people and social media users are criticising this act and calling out on how the brands have often shown disrespect for its own produce. To understand if this practice is ethical or not, indianexpress.com reached out to financial advisor Safir Anand, who handle designers like Manish Malhotra and Gaurav Gupta.
Burberry burns unsold products worth £28.6 million to guard against counterfeiting; is it ethical?
Lear More
Zimbabwe: 5 arrested for cash and gold smuggling
Zimbabwe police have arrested five persons for attempting to smuggle $4m and 98kg of gold out of the country.
The money and gold were stashed in suitcases, local media reports.
Chronicle newspaper reports that police apprehended the suspects upon tip off about their operation.
Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests, saying the suspects were illegally dealing in gold.
They were arrested at the leafy Harare suburb of Borrowdale. Police have confiscated the cash and gold and have launched investigations into the incident.
Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa is making efforts to deal with corruption after taking over. Last week Mnangagwa said his government has so far recovered $850m in stolen funds.
Mnangagwa during his swearing in as President last year issued an amnesty for state stolen funds to be returned.
https://africafeeds.com/2018/07/07/zimbabwe-5-arrested-for-cash-and-gold-smuggling/
Lear More
Foreign currencies worth Rs 40L seized at Trichy airport
Trichy: Authorities from the directorate revenue intelligence (DRI) secured three people and seized Rs 40 lakh worth of foreign currencies from them at the Trichy international airport.
According to airport authorities, a team of officials from the DRI intercepted the three passengers at the terminal when they were about to board a Sharjah-bound Air Indian Express flight on Saturday morning.
Subsequently, the team seized US dollars and Saudi riyals valued at Rs 40 lakh. The passengers were identified as Afraf Ali, 33, Prem Nazir, 33, Trichy and Mohammed Rizwan, 28, from Chennai.
With this, officials have so far recovered over Rs 1.08 crore worth foreign currency notes in the last five months, sources said.
Aussie border agents seize 57 mln illegal cigarette
SYDNEY, July 5 (Xinhua) — A joint operation led by the Australian Border Force (ABF) has stubbed out an organized crime syndicate and seized over 57 million illegal cigarettes in a year-long investigation.
Aided by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and Queensland State Police, ABF superintendent Leo Lahey said on Thursday that the Illicit Tobacco Taskforce operation was an example of what can be achieved when authorities pool the resources of state, federal and international law enforcement.
“Working collaboratively across agencies in this way will always be critical to success,” he said.
“These seizures also highlight the critical need to combat the illicit tobacco trade.”
Beginning in June 2017, the complex investigation began with a tip-off from ACIC after information came to light that an organized crime syndicate with links to Southeast Asia was operating in Australia and involved in money laundering and the large-scale importation of illicit tobacco.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-07/05/c_137302917.htm
Lear More
Counterfeit versions of $10,000 Super Bowl rings intercepted by US border control officers
Customs officers in the US have seized a shipment of more than 100 counterfeit replica Super Bowl rings featuring the emblems past champion teams.
If the items of American football-themed jewellery confiscated by border force officials had been genuine, the 108 items would have been worth some $1,080,000.
Authentic replica rings of this nature typically retail for $10,000 each.
The rings, which bore the logos of a number of teams that have won the Super Bowl in previous years, were found in a parcel that had been sent from Hong Kong.
On inspecting the contents of the package, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers noted the poor craftsmanship of the rings, and contacted trademark holder the NFL to enquire as to their authenticity.
Lear More
Kerala youth arrested for smuggling gold
Sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have arrested a youth from Kerala at the Coimbatore International Airport for smuggling 3.67 kg of gold. The gold bars, 24 of them, were stuffed into the cavity of a steel roller along with fine Arabian sand.
The seized gold is valued at ₹1.15 crore. The passenger, M. Amalraj (25) of Ernakulam, had arrived at Coimbatore airport on Sunday morning from Sharjah on an Air Arabia flight. He was intercepted by DRI sleuths at the airport, based on specific information. DRI officials found that the passenger was carrying a mild steel roller weighing 13.6 kg in his checked-in luggage. Though the steel roller of 100 mm diameter appeared to be a solid single piece of metal, it weighed oddly, raising suspicion among the officials. They took it to a lathe for further examination.
Lear More
‘Fakes’ worth P11.8M destroyed at Crame
Authorities on Thursday destroyed some P11.8-million worth of counterfeit goods, including copies of high-end fashion brands, a fraction of the total products confiscated during the first five months of the year worth P6.7 billion.
The activity, which employed heavy equipment that included a road roller, a backhoe, a bulldozer and an armored personnel carrier, was held by the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) at Camp Crame.
Witnesses included the representatives of companies whose products were counterfeited, including Louis Vuitton, Lacoste and WD-40, among others.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1005326/fakes-worth-p11-8m-destroyed-at-crame
Lear More