Phoney products uncovered in spot checks on clothing stores

More than 100 counterfeit bags and goods, said to be worth about 100,000 yuan, were confiscated during a spot check campaign at Jian Wai SOHO, an industry authority said on Wednesday.

Two clothing stores in the No 9 building and another next door in No 8 building were found to be selling 114 fake bags and clothing, branded as Herms, Louis Vuitton and Chanel, according to the Chaoyang branch of Beijing administration for industry and commerce.

Jiang Xiuling, vice-section-chief with the branch's trademark office, told METRO a Guangzhou-based copyright agency had reported the counterfeit goods.

"They sent us a lot of evidence, so we launched the campaign as soon as we could confirm the report," she said. Advertisement boards, promoting "last season's leftovers", were hung outside the stores to attract customers, Jiang said.

"One such counterfeit bag had a price tag of 1,600 yuan, while a genuine version was selling for 34,500 yuan in a neighboring secondhand store.

"I expect most clients knew the bags were not genuine, but they still bought them to satisfy their vanity."

She added that the investigation and subsequent decision on punishment would take two months.

"We need to uncover the specifics, such as the supply source and how much money the stores paid."

Chinese trademark law states that anyone selling counterfeit goods will be fined between one and three times the sales price of the products involved, or between 10,000 and 100,000 yuan if those prices cannot be confirmed.

Staff with the Guangzhou-based agency said most top brands, such as Herms and Louis Vuitton, do not sell out-of-season products in China.