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More Silk Street shops shut down

By Wang Qian (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-10 07:47

A store owner clashes with a manager of the Silk Street Market after he tries to shut her store on Sunday. [China Daily]

Seven more merchants of the capital's Silk Street Market, well known as a place to pick up cheap designer knock-offs, were ordered to shut shop for a week starting Sunday after they were found selling fake goods.

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Market investigations by IntellecPro, an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection company representing Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel and Burberry, revealed all the seven merchants had sold fake clothing or bags carrying labels of the five world-renowned high-end brands.

According to an agreement signed between the market and IntellecPro in December last year, the seven merchants have to keep their shops closed from Feb 8 to Feb 15, Wang Zili, the manager of the market told China Daily yesterday.

As per the agreement, any store in the Silk Street Market selling pirated goods with labels of either of the brands will be suspended for a week if IntellecPro can provide evidence of the same along with notarization.

Before the Spring Festival, the IPR protection firm reported 30 vendors to the market association for selling fake goods. The market decided to suspend the stores in four batches.

The first group of seven vendors was suspended on Feb 1.

However, storeowners are crying foul.

"There is no reason to suspend our booths, as their (IntellecPro's) accusation lacks legal evidence," a salesperson told the Beijing News on Sunday.

A saleswoman of a suspended store even turned violent and beat up the market manager with her shoes.

"We understand how the merchants are feeling. The evidence submitted by IntellecPro is not persuasive enough," the manager told China Daily.

He said that the firm only provided photos of the fake goods after they were taken back to the respective companies.

In one case, IntellecPro provided photographs of a Silk Street merchant wearing a fake Chanel necklace and tried to use it as evidence to shut her booth, said Wang.

"It is ridiculous to accuse merchants for wearing fake things," he said.

Hu Qi, head of IntellecPro, said they had briefed the five brands of the situation and were awaiting further instructions.

Qiu Baochang, a legal consultant with the China Consumers' Association, said that there was a need to improve the standard of evidence in IPR cases.

The first batch of seven vendors sued the market manager and IntellecPro in the Chaoyang district court on Friday, demanding a total compensation of 161,000 yuan ($23,500).