Colombian authorities in Bogota bust bogus Levi's jeans cartel.SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 20, 1997--Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO.) today announced that Columbian authorities have broken up a major criminal network in Bogota, Columbia, involved in the manufacture and distribution of fake Levi's(R) jeans. Preliminary reports are that the Columbian National Police raided three laundries, two factories and seven retail stores in Bogota, seizing a total of 11,000 pairs of counterfeit To falsify, deceive, or defraud. A copy or imitation of something that is intended to be taken as authentic and genuine in order to deceive another. A counterfeit coin is one that may pass for a genuine coin and may include a lower denomination coin altered so that it may Levi's(R) jeans and other items falsely labeled as authentic Levi's(R) products. The raids led to the arrest of nine individuals on criminal charges of infringement of a registered trademark. The Columbian government's action was initiated at the request of LS&CO. Tim O'Neil, a trademark investigator for LS&CO.'s Brand Protection Department, said: "The success of this raid is very important in our continued effort to combat counterfeit Levi's(R) products. In recent years, Columbia has become a hotbed hotbed, low, glass-covered frame structure for starting tender plants. It differs from a cold frame only in that the soil is heated—either artificially as by underground electric wiring or steampipes, or naturally with partially fermented stable manure, which of counterfeiting counterfeiting, manufacturing spurious coins, paper money, or evidences of governmental obligation (e.g., bonds) in the semblance of the true. There must be sufficient resemblance to the genuine article to deceive a person using ordinary caution. and trademark piracy, with fake Levi's(R) products from Columbia turning up in markets all around the world. This raid is the first in a nationwide campaign to break Columbia's growing counterfeit network." Roughly 50 percent of the goods confiscated con·fis·cate tr.v. con·fis·cat·ed, con·fis·cat·ing, con·fis·cates 1. To seize (private property) for the public treasury. 2. To seize by or as if by authority. See Synonyms at appropriate. adj. in the raids were fake Levi's(R) 501(R) jeans. There were also a number of other counterfeit Levi's(R) jeans seized along with bogus belts, shoes, shirts and jackets. In total the load filled up ten trucks. Additionally, all the machinery in one factory was seized. Mr. O'Neil said: "Counterfeit products are of inferior quality and sometimes contain hazardous dyes and fabrics of unknown flammability flam·ma·ble adj. Easily ignited and capable of burning rapidly; inflammable. [From Latin flamm standards. A counterfeit garment may look genuine at first, but once it is worn and washed, the quality defects will always become apparent. Ultimately, it is the consumer who pays the price for these bogus goods. "Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss, born Löb Strauß & Co. has always been, and continues to be, extremely aggressive in fighting the counterfeiting of its products," O'Neil added. "The company's anti-counterfeiting efforts include wide-ranging investigations, working with police and customs authorities all over the world, and litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. aimed at stopping counterfeit activity." Since 1990, police and customs authorities, acting sometimes on their own initiative and sometimes on information supplied by LS&CO., have seized more than 5 million counterfeit products. The company conducts more than 2,000 investigations worldwide per year; many of these lead to criminal actions by police authorities or civil actions by LS&CO. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, an estimated 5 - 8 percent of all consumer products sold worldwide are counterfeits. It is estimated that counterfeits cost U.S. industries more than $200 billion per year. Levi Strauss & Co. is the world's largest brand-name apparel manufacturer. The company manufactures and markets branded jeans, casual sportswear and dress pants under the Levi's(R), Dockers
Dockers is a brand of Levi Strauss & Co. Levi Strauss & Co. (R) and SLATES(TM) brands, and employs approximately 37,500 people worldwide. CONTACT: Levi Strauss & Co. Clarence Grebey, 415/501-7140 |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion