Olympic Crackdown As 1,300 Fake Goods Seized
2:56pm Wednesday September 22, 2010
Adam Arnold
About 1,300 fake Olympic T-shirts and baseball caps have been seized by authorities in a crackdown on counterfeiters before the London Games in two years' time.
Counterfeit Olympic T-shirts were among the items seized
The items, which had the 2012 trademark and Olympic rings symbol on, were found at a souvenir shop in Westminster in the centre of the capital. They were believed to be the first of their kind spotted in the area, trading standards officers said.
They added that due to the size of the haul, it was likely the goods would have been distributed elsewhere. The items had been displayed in the shop, with T-shirts being sold two for £10 or £5.99 each. The trader in Buckingham Palace Road could now be prosecuted, facing jail or an unlimited fine if convicted.
We hope the actions taken...against this particular retailer will serve as a strong warning to others. <cite>
Westminster council spokesman Brian Connell
</cite> Officials were alerted by Games organiser Locog, which relies on its brand to raise sponsorship and licensing towards the £2bn cost of staging the Games. A Westminster Council spokeswoman said: "We are regularly on the lookout for fake goods, for example designer labels, but this is the first misuse of the Olympic logo we have seen." The council said the seizure showed that a major counterfeiting operation had already begun. Spokesman Brian Connell said: "In less than two years' time the eyes of the world will be on London when the Olympics come to the UK.
"In the run up to and during the 2012 Games we will be on the lookout for counterfeit Olympic clothing and merchandise on sale in Westminster." He said they were "simply poor imitations of the real thing and serve to only exploit real sports fans". Mr Connell added: "We hope the actions taken...against this particular retailer will serve as a strong warning to others who may be thinking they can make some easy money by buying and selling illicit Olympic merchandise."
