Criminal Investigation Bureau Broke Up a Cross-Strait Counterfeiting Gang.

Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Criminal Investigation Division, Taipei City Police Department of Taipei City Government uncovered a cross-strait counterfeiting gang in October 2009.  The principal offender, Hong (once charged and adjudicated for Trademark Act violation) incorporated a company in Hong Kong and established an online shopping platform called “Du Du Shopping Mall” (transliteration of Chinese name: 嘟嘟購物商城) in China to sell branded apparel and sports shoes (NIKE, adidas, Converse, New Balance, LACOSTE, CK, PUMA, ROYAL, PONY, LV, GUCCI, etc.).  The police uncovered and seized tens of thousand pieces of counterfeits in value near a hundred million NT dollars.

Hong operated his business based in Hong Kong by accepting orders in China and making delivery of the orders in Taiwan by home delivery.

Moreover, Hong asserted that the products he sold were all with fine quality comparable to that of genuine ones.  Hong’s platform earned high praise from users by providing 24-hour service system that enabled customers to place orders by Internet, by phone, or online talk.  According to the police investigation, there had been more than ten thousand users visited Hong’s online sale platform, and at least 2000 visitors had placed orders.

Hong squatted a lot of auction accounts available on well-known auction websites to seek buyers.  He would close one account and use another anytime when buyer complains or makes inquiry about inferior quality.  The seized infringing products were assessed to be comparable with genuine ones in quality and appearance.  The police suspected that a large number of counterfeits were commercially available in sports shops and tried to trace them out. (2009.10)
/CCS