Fake Nike, Adidas confiscated in Yekaterinburg

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 27, 2010. The offices of Koltsovo Customs (part of Ural Customs Administration) had to file two administrative offense protocols featuring a certain citizen K. when checking Friday’s Beijing-Yekaterinburg flight. Both protocols involve charges based on Article 14.10 of the Russian Federation Administrative Offense Code (illegal use of registered trademarks/intellectual property).

The woman’s luggage contained twelve tracksuits bearing Nike logos, twenty-four fake Adidas tracksuits, and six pirated Adidas backpacks, all of which was confiscated and transferred to a storehouse.

To transfer any goods bearing the globally recognized logos across a customs frontier, one needs to produce the documented proof of the trademark owner’s consent. Now the subject was unable to produce any documents of this kind. The fact that the goods arrived from China also raises doubts as to its authenticity. What is more, both trademarks in question are on Russia’s Federal Customs Service Intellectual Property Register, which means they are protected by the Russian Customs.