Trading standards urge people to keep it real this Christmas

Bury Council’s trading standards service has launched a crackdown on the sale of counterfeit goods in the run-up to Christmas.

With support from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), ‘Keeping It Real’ will work in partnership with local businesses providing awareness and guidance for local employers and staff so that they know what to look out for.

It follows a report by the IP Crime Group which identified ‘factories and industrial units’ and ‘other workplaces’ as being in the top 11 intellectual property crime locations.

Counterfeit goods are often offered for sale, especially in the run-up to Christmas. The most common ‘fakes’ are clothes, DVDs and CDs, perfumes and cosmetics, software, cigarettes, alcohol and toys.

These items are normally seen as cheaper alternatives to the genuine branded goods, but are often of inferior quality and sometimes dangerous.

Andrew Johnson, head of trading standards in Bury, said: “We’ve seized fake vodka that can cause blindness, aftershave and cigarettes with potentially harmful ingredients and electrical goods that are completely unsafe. Particularly in the run-up to Christmas when everyone’s looking for a bargain and money can be tight, we’re trying to raise awareness of the dangers that can come from counterfeit goods. We are delighted to be working with the IPO and we will be enforcing a variety of legislation around copyright, patents, design and trademarks.” 

Intellectual Property Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said: “I am delighted to be working in partnership with trading standards to help raise awareness about this issue. Too few understand that counterfeit goods can put consumers at risk of serious harm from unsafe products. They also damage legitimate businesses, affecting jobs and wages.

"I hope that our partnership with trading standards and law enforcement across the country will help highlight the hidden danger of buying fake goods."

For more information about counterfeit goods and how to spot them or for further details on the campaign itself, go to the website at http://keep-it-real-at-work.org.uk

ENDS

Issued: 9 December 2014.