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| Tourists warned over fake goods | Tourists warned over fake goods |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| Holidaymakers could be fined thousands of pounds - or even jailed - for buying fake designer goods when abroad, copyright lawyers are warning. | Holidaymakers could be fined thousands of pounds - or even jailed - for buying fake designer goods when abroad, copyright lawyers are warning. |
| Authorities in France and Italy are not just targeting those who produce and sell fakes but also those who buy them. | Authorities in France and Italy are not just targeting those who produce and sell fakes but also those who buy them. |
| In France, the maximum fine is 300,000 euro (£260,000) or three years in jail. | In France, the maximum fine is 300,000 euro (£260,000) or three years in jail. |
| The UK government has decided against criminalising consumers. Instead it has launched an information campaign aimed at people using markets and boot sales. | The UK government has decided against criminalising consumers. Instead it has launched an information campaign aimed at people using markets and boot sales. |
| Seizures of counterfeit goods on the continent more than doubled in 2008, with customs authorities seizing 178 million fake items - mostly imported from China. | Seizures of counterfeit goods on the continent more than doubled in 2008, with customs authorities seizing 178 million fake items - mostly imported from China. |
| The European Commission is concerned about the growing involvement of organised international criminal gangs. | The European Commission is concerned about the growing involvement of organised international criminal gangs. |
| These are not cheeky chappies making an honest living on a Sunday morning, these are hardened criminals Susie WinterAlliance Against Intellectual Property Theft | These are not cheeky chappies making an honest living on a Sunday morning, these are hardened criminals Susie WinterAlliance Against Intellectual Property Theft |
| It says: "Without doubt, one of the principal methods of dispersing counterfeits is the 'ant-like' traffic of tourists returning home from holiday, bringing back souvenirs." | It says: "Without doubt, one of the principal methods of dispersing counterfeits is the 'ant-like' traffic of tourists returning home from holiday, bringing back souvenirs." |
| This has prompted some member states to take a harder line. | This has prompted some member states to take a harder line. |
| Company copyright solicitor Nicholas Phillips said anyone tempted to bring back fake designer sunglasses, a football top or handbag from their holidays should beware. | Company copyright solicitor Nicholas Phillips said anyone tempted to bring back fake designer sunglasses, a football top or handbag from their holidays should beware. |
| "The most likely thing to happen to British tourists if they walk thought customs with a counterfeit Louis Vuitton bag is customs officers will tap them on the shoulder and take it away form them. | "The most likely thing to happen to British tourists if they walk thought customs with a counterfeit Louis Vuitton bag is customs officers will tap them on the shoulder and take it away form them. |
| "They will also potentially fine them twice the value of the original bag not the fake. [That] may run to several thousand euros, imagine twice that." | "They will also potentially fine them twice the value of the original bag not the fake. [That] may run to several thousand euros, imagine twice that." |
| Dangerous fakes | Dangerous fakes |
| John Tuchier, from the Trading Standards Institute, said holidaymakers can easily be caught out by things that "look like a bargain", and shoppers should consider the "safety and quality of a product". | |
| "Some of these counterfeit goods are so good that you might not be aware that the product is counterfeit until an expert actually looks at it and brings it to your attention," he said. | |
| The UK government says legitimate businesses lose an estimated £10bn a year to counterfeiters, with £9bn ending up the hands of gangs. | The UK government says legitimate businesses lose an estimated £10bn a year to counterfeiters, with £9bn ending up the hands of gangs. |
| It also warns that fake alcohol can cause blindness or death, copied toiletries can be harmful and that counterfeit toys or medicines will not have passed safety tests. | It also warns that fake alcohol can cause blindness or death, copied toiletries can be harmful and that counterfeit toys or medicines will not have passed safety tests. |
| Susie Winter, director general of the Alliance Against Intellectual Property Theft - a grouping of creative industry associations, said the UK's counterfeit trade centred around markets. | Susie Winter, director general of the Alliance Against Intellectual Property Theft - a grouping of creative industry associations, said the UK's counterfeit trade centred around markets. |
| "We would urge people to think about where their money is going," she said. | "We would urge people to think about where their money is going," she said. |
| "These are not cheeky chappies making an honest living on a Sunday morning, these are hardened criminals." | "These are not cheeky chappies making an honest living on a Sunday morning, these are hardened criminals." |
| Many organised criminal gangs exploit child labour, she added. | Many organised criminal gangs exploit child labour, she added. |