77,850 empty fake vodka bottles handed over to brand owner for destruction

77,850 empty fake vodka bottles handed over to brand owner for destruction

SINGAPORE - Following an order issued by the court, Singapore Customs has handed over 77,850 empty counterfeit vodka bottles, 18 boxes of bottle caps and 10 boxes of labels to the legal representative of the brand owner for destruction.

These counterfeit items, consigned to a company in Singapore, were detained by Singapore Customs in June last year. Declared as "general cargoes", the counterfeits were shipped from a neighbouring country to Singapore in eleven 20-foot containers, and were intended to be shipped to another country.

Singapore Customs officers inspected the containers in Keppel Distripark on June 6, 2013, and found a total of 2,595 cartons of counterfeit bottles, 18 boxes of bottle caps and 10 boxes of labels, all bearing the name of a vodka brand.

The items, suspected to be used for illegal bottling activities and sale outside Singapore, were immediately detained.

The brand owner subsequently applied successfully to the court for the detained items to be forfeited to it for destruction. Singapore Customs handed over the trade mark infringing items to the legal representative of the brand owner on December 26, 2013.

"Singapore Customs does not condone such illegal trading activities, especially when the goods involved may potentially pose health or safety risks" said Mr Tok Choon Min, Acting Head of Operations Management Branch, Singapore Customs. "We will work closely with brand owners to take appropriate action against offenders in accordance with the Trade Marks Act."

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.