Thai retailers arrested for counterfeit footwear

Thai authorities have arrested two men and seized 160,000 pairs of counterfeit footwear from six retail outlets.

The footwear has a market value of about THB20 million (US$601,000), says Department of Special Investigation (DSI) deputy-chief Suriya Singhakamol.

The DSI obtained warrants from the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court to search four locations in Samphanthawong and one in Rat Burana in Bangkok, plus another in Nakhon Pathom province.

Suriya says 160,000 pairs of sneakers and other footwear were found falsely labelled as Adidas, Converse and Nike, as well as other brands.

Two Chinese shop owners, Hongbin Lin and Lin Sow, have been charged with possession of products falsely labelled with registered trademarks, and with smuggling those products into Thailand in breach of trademark and customs laws.

The men had set up companies to import counterfeit products, and traded them around the clock, says Suriya.

The DSI has been talking with retail space owners over the past month, asking for their co-operation in not renting space to traders selling counterfeit products.