Newsletter Sign Up

Enter your email address below to receive exclusive discounts and special offers from us:

Industry News

Read Polo Shirt news
Read T-Shirt news
Read Sweatshirt news
Read all news

Polo Shirts Acceptable for Casual Office Attire

Wimbledon Fashion is More Than Just a Polo Shirt

‘Sopranos’ Costumes to be Auctioned Today


  Del.ico.us
  Google
  Yahoo MyWeb
  Blink
  Digg
  Furl
  Simpy
  Spurl

 
 
 
 
 
 

Selling Counterfeit Clothing Online

Tuesday 08th of May 2007 04:27:58 AM

Even though selling clothing with false designer labels on them is illegal, many people do so every year on auction sites and their own web sites. This is what Tobie Hillier of Scalby Nabs, UK was doing when police confiscated clothing which included T-Shirts, jeans, and Polo Shirts with fraudulent labels on them. Among the designers were Giorgio Armani, Dolce and Gabbana, and Diesel.

A customer of Hillier’s alerted the North Yorkshire Trading Standards last September after they had received merchandise they thought was suspect. After a six-month investigation, Hillier was arrested. He was found guilty under the Trade Marks Act of 1994. Officers posing as customers made purchases of Hillier’s goods in order to determine if they were genuine or not.

Hillier pleaded guilty to violating the act and was sentenced to nine months in jail. When police searched Hillier’s home, they found about £14,000 in clothing. The amount of money Hillier supposedly made by selling T-Shirts and other items he claimed were designer goods could be as high as £160,000 according to police estimates.

Selling items over the internet under false pretences is more common than people think. It is important to research who the items are coming from and to report suspicious activity to the authorities. While Hillier’s lawyers argued that he did not make that much profit, the courts agreed that the amount did not matter, it was the fact that he had deceived people in order to make a profit.

In one last effort to defend his actions, Hillier claimed he needed the money to pay off school loans. The judge hearing the case dismissed his claims citing they did not justify what he had done.

(c)Thomas Eggar, www.sxc.hu