The Philippine STAR June 18, 2006

Fake baseball caps seized in Binondo

An estimated P2.3 million worth of alleged counterfeit Billabong baseball caps were confiscated by elements of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in a raid last Friday in Binondo, Manila.

NBI-Intellectual Property Rights Division (IPRD) Head Agents Jose Justo Yap said they seized a total of 1,581 pieces of baseball caps fromthree outlets and two stockrooms at the Sogo Plaza located along Ilaya street. They raided the Naty's Lingerie Fashion Haus, stalls numbered 14 and 15, and two stockrooms.

Yap said they conducted surveillance and buy-bust operations after receiving complaints from the local representatives of Billabong. They would also use as evidence the information gathered by the market research company Orion Support Inc. (OSI)

After confirming their suspicion, they applied for a search warrant from Executive Judge Antonio Eugenio Jr., of Branch 24 of the manila City Regional Trial Court (MCRTC).

The NBI said they are mulling filing charges of unfair competition against the owners and operators of the establishments. Only recently, the NBI-IPRD also secured a search warrant from Judge Eugenio and raided two stalls located at the second floor of the Manila City Plaza in Quiapo.

Here they operated against imitation calculators worth P3.9 million. Yap said they confiscated 4,872 units of electronics calculators and 516 pieces of packaging boxes bearing imitations of trademarks Casio.

Based on the post operation report submitted by special Investigator III Isagni Illescas Jr., they received a complaint from law offices EB Astudillo & Associates, in behalf of their client Casio Computer Co., Ltd. based in Tokyo, Japan.

The law firm said imitations of Casio's electronics calculators, reportedly smuggled in from China, are being sold in the said establishment.    

By Evelyn Macairan

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Counterfeit Billabong