London,
21
December
2009
|
23:00
Europe/London

Caught by Trading Standards: Trader selling fake branded goods

A trader selling fake branded designer clothing worth up to £20,000 has been caught by Trading Standards Officers. Mr Imam Coban, a licensed market trader, who sold clothing at Ridley Road market, pleaded guilty to nine Trade Mark offences – of unauthorised use of a trademark - at Thames Magistrates Court involving an estimated 150 items falsely branded including, Nike, D&G, Diesel and Stone Island Jeans. When asked in court, Mr Coban did not provide details of his suppliers to magistrates.

Mr Coban pleaded guilty of selling counterfeit goods at Thames Magistrates Court on 21 December 2009. In summing up in court, magistrates stated that Mr Coban’s actions were serious enough to warrant a jail sentence. Instead, he was sentenced to a community service order of 80 hours of unpaid work and made to pay costs of £1,000. His counterfeit goods were also seized and destroyed.

Cllr Alan Laing, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods said: “People want to come to Hackney markets for a good deal. When they buy a designer item, they want to be able to trust that you’re walking away with the quality associated with that brand. These rip-off merchants mislead consumers and risk giving genuine market traders a bad name.”

Ends

The offences relate to. Sec 92 (1) (b) of the Trade Marks Act 1994