Customs investigators on Tuesday raided eight “locally renowned” jewelry stores, located in both the north and downtown areas of the Macau peninsula, following a complaint that some of the jewel- studded accessories for sale were in breach of luxury brand Chanel’s copyright protections.
According to the agency’s spokesman, the whistle-blower of the trademark infringement was a rights holder in the French brand, who had previously discovered items that the authorities suspect to be “genuine jewels with other label” in the related stores.
A total of nine suspects, one foreign female worker and eight locals, were taken to the authorities’ headquarters for further investigation on the day of the raids. The officers said that up to 108 items of accessories, including earrings, rings, necklaces and bracelets, worth roughly MOP 2,172,000, had been seized and already identified as counterfeits by the rights holder who lodged a complaint.
A local, surnamed “Lou”, is said to have been in charge of the corporation together with the imported laborer, who worked as a supervisor. The female’s branches were being headed by the remaining suspects as managers. The authorities’ preliminary inquiry suggested that the confiscated products hailed from overseas, with prices ranging between MOP 3,000 and MOP5,000.
However, the accessories could have been sold at a lower price, at least around 20 percent off, making them far cheaper than their counterparts that are showcased in the brand’s own outlets. The owner of the shops failed to show the officers relevant authorization documents to use the hallmark on his products.
Among all the branches raided, four have been certified by the region’s Consumer Council, guaranteeing the quality of their products. The authorities said that the jewelry shops “garnered a certain level of fame from locals,” as they have been running for more than a decade. It remains unclear whether or not the shop owner committed the crime knowing about the registered trademark or not. Staff reporter
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