China Launching Preliminary Probe into Counterfeiting of Louis Vuitton Products
China announced that in mid-January, a local branch of the municipal industry and commerce administration in Hangzhou, together with Louis Vuitton Malletier (LV), will launch a preliminary probe into counterfeiting on LV products in preparation for China's first campaign against intellectual property rights (IPR) infringements for 2011.
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China to Deal Severely with IPR Infringements on the Louis Vuitton Brand
Chen Liang, deputy head of Jianggan station of the administration, stated that the administration will deal severely with an IPR infringement when it is ascertained. Once sale of any suspicious goods under the LV brand is detected, related staff from the French company will be asked to determine whether the commodities are shoddy goods or counterfeits.
In 2010, his station detected four IPR infringements on the LV brand, involving 1,000 items of commodities, from garments and suitcases to shoes and accessories. One of the cases was dealt as a criminal cause and the counterfeiter concerned received a jail term of 18 months and was fined $21,708 dollars.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 12/30/10 news, 10123009, for BP summary of ITC patent-based investigations brought by Louis Vuitton.
See ITT's Online Archives or 01/24/11 news, 11012408, for BP summary of China to improve efforts against foreign IPR infringements.)