London,
23
May
2010
|
23:00
Europe/London
Trading Standards offers protection against Fake Condoms.
A Hackney supermarket has been fined for selling fake condoms packaged up as boxes of the market leader, Durex.
On 20 May 2010, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Mr Aziz Nazlikol pleaded guilty on behalf of Stokey Supermarket Limited* (102, Stoke Newington Road, N16) to seven counts of breaches of the Trade Marks Act 1994 for having counterfeit Durex condoms for sale on its shelves.
The company was fined £150 for each of the seven offences, adding up to a total of £1050. The fine reflected the severity of the potential impact on people using fake and untested condoms. They were also ordered to pay the London Borough of Hackney the full investigation and legal costs, which amounted to £9720.
The judge made particular reference to the company’s negligence in allowing its customers to pick up the untested condoms in the belief that they were a brand that could be trusted.
The supermarket, which is on a busy shopping street, was displaying counterfeit Durex Arouser, Featherlite, Performa, Gossamer, Ribbed, Select and Extra Safe. 76 packets of three were found and seized by Hackney Council’s Trading Standards Officers in July 2007, following a tip off about the shop from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) who had already raided the same supermarket for counterfeit "Turkish" wine.
Steve Douglas, Corporate Director for Neighbourhoods and Regeneration said: “Every customer who bought these fake, and untested, condoms from this shop was let down.
“People choose branded condoms because they know that the British Kitemark means the product is subject to stringent testing processes and will help protect them from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This company callously let their customers take a risk unbeknown to themselves and their partners.”
Martyn Ward, managing director of Durex in the UK, said: “Like many major consumer brands, Durex is sometimes targeted by counterfeiters who seek to capitalise on the reputation of a trade name while in effect conning the public. While these occurrences are rare, Durex takes a firm stance against counterfeiters and will always assist in providing information that will help to prosecute criminals who set out to defraud the public in this way.
On 20 May 2010, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Mr Aziz Nazlikol pleaded guilty on behalf of Stokey Supermarket Limited* (102, Stoke Newington Road, N16) to seven counts of breaches of the Trade Marks Act 1994 for having counterfeit Durex condoms for sale on its shelves.
The company was fined £150 for each of the seven offences, adding up to a total of £1050. The fine reflected the severity of the potential impact on people using fake and untested condoms. They were also ordered to pay the London Borough of Hackney the full investigation and legal costs, which amounted to £9720.
The judge made particular reference to the company’s negligence in allowing its customers to pick up the untested condoms in the belief that they were a brand that could be trusted.
The supermarket, which is on a busy shopping street, was displaying counterfeit Durex Arouser, Featherlite, Performa, Gossamer, Ribbed, Select and Extra Safe. 76 packets of three were found and seized by Hackney Council’s Trading Standards Officers in July 2007, following a tip off about the shop from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) who had already raided the same supermarket for counterfeit "Turkish" wine.
Steve Douglas, Corporate Director for Neighbourhoods and Regeneration said: “Every customer who bought these fake, and untested, condoms from this shop was let down.
“People choose branded condoms because they know that the British Kitemark means the product is subject to stringent testing processes and will help protect them from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This company callously let their customers take a risk unbeknown to themselves and their partners.”
Martyn Ward, managing director of Durex in the UK, said: “Like many major consumer brands, Durex is sometimes targeted by counterfeiters who seek to capitalise on the reputation of a trade name while in effect conning the public. While these occurrences are rare, Durex takes a firm stance against counterfeiters and will always assist in providing information that will help to prosecute criminals who set out to defraud the public in this way.