A man has been arrested and charged with selling counterfeit brand-name footwear and clothing that would have been worth more than NT$4 million (US$132,961) if genuine, police said yesterday.
According to a source, a 20-year-old female surnamed Chen (陳) bought multiple items from the 41-year-old night market merchant surnamed Chuang (莊) at Lehua Night Market in New Taipei City’s Yonghe District (永和) after seeing that Chuang was selling famous brands, such as Adidas and Nike, at cheap prices.
Chen said she later discovered the items were counterfeit after she experienced allergic reactions after wearing the shoes and shirts a few times.
Photo: Chen I-yun, Taipei Times
Police said they seized a total of 1,373 counterfeit products sporting brands such as Nike, Adidas, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein and Yves Saint Laurent from Chuang after they were tipped off.
Chuang started importing counterfeit goods from China from November last year, police said, adding that he sold Nike “Roshe” running shoes for about one-10th of the recommended price.
Despite the poor quality, the items were sold for NT$200 to NT$500 each and because their prices were much lower than those of genuine products, they attracted numerous buyers, police said.
Photo: CNA, provided by police
Chuang said he only spoke with his Chinese contacts through chat applications, adding that he usually stored all the merchandise in his van and sold them at night market stands in New Taipei City and Taipei.
Captain Chang Shih-chieh (張世傑) of the Second Special Police Corps called on the public to purchase brand items at brand stores through licensed sales partners to avoid problems and protect brands’ intellectual property.
Additional reporting by CNA
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