Counterfeiting issues continue to plague Beijing

Counterfeiting issues continue to plague Beijing    Piracy crackdowns in China continue apace as Beijing seeks to dispel the notion of China as a hotbed for fake goods.
   The state-run news agency Xinhua had a bevy of stories today related to trademark infringement of apparel items. In one case, a Beijing court ordered Guangzhou Taie Dress Co. Ltd., Beijing-based Nianniangao Garments Co. Ltd. and the Beijing Urban-Rural Trade Center Co. Ltd. to pay French brand Lacoste nearly $100,000 for producing and selling clothes with a logo almost exactly identical to Lacoste's famous crocodile.
   Another famous logo, Nike's Air Jordan silhouette, is the subject of a lawsuit filed by the Oregon-based shoemaking giant, which alleged Tuesday in a Chinese court that three shoemakers in Fujan province were producing shoes with the Jordan logo and selling them in the Shanghai outlet of French retailer Auchan, which was also named in the suit. Nike is seeking roughly $130,000 in compensation. The shoes were being sold in Auchan's Shanghai and Ningbo stores for about $12. In the United States, Air Jordan typically retail for more than $100.
   In a signal of how widespread and accepted piracy is, the companies being sued have argued that the Jordan logo is 'not well-known in China though it might be in other countries, and therefore, no apology is necessary,' according to the Xinhua report.
   One last item on counterfeiting hits a little closer to home, with Beijing officials worried about fake Olympic-branded goods on the rise.
   'China’s market supervisors detected 428 violations of the Beijing Olympics logos last year, up 45 percent from 2005, according to the State Administration of Industry and Commerce,' the Xinhua report said.
   In all, the newspaper said that from 2004 to 2006 the SAIC has dealt with 1,128 infringement cases involving 14.89 million yuan ($1.95 million) and imposed 8.38 million yuan ($1.16 million) in fines.