A Pilning man has been given an 18-month prison sentence after admitting selling counterfeit clothing, jewellery, handbags, films and games as well as possessing a “chipped” games console.
Kane Goodman, aged 36, of Wainbridge Crescent, Pilning, pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court last year to 17 charges under the Trade Marks Act 1994 for selling and possessing for sale counterfeit goods. He also pleaded guilty to one charge under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
In a hearing at Bristol Crown Court the scale of Goodman’s operation was revealed, involving transactions in the UK, Europe and the Far East.
The case was prosecuted by South Gloucestershire Council’s trading standards department after Goodman’s activities came to light during the course of an investigation into the sales of counterfeit films.
In May 2008 Goodman’s home was raided and he was arrested in connection with his business activities. Large amounts of counterfeit clothing were removed, along with copied games and film discs and a quantity of computer equipment.
The haul included a total of 153 items of counterfeit clothing including branded football shirts and other clothing such as Paul Smith and Lacoste, as well as Chanel handbags and Tiffany jewellery, which was all confirmed by the trade mark owners as being counterfeit. In addition, 411 pirated films were removed along with 757 pirated Nintendo Wii and Playstation games.
The computers were submitted for forensic analysis and revealed that Goodman had been running a business selling various types of counterfeit merchandise for several years.
In court it was revealed that Goodman had a business contact in Thailand on whose behalf he sold copied football shirts by using his own eBay account. Computer records showed that 800 of these shirts were sold, primarily in Europe, with a gross value of 28,000 Euros.
It was also established that Goodman was importing copied clothing, jewellery and shoes from China and using multiple addresses in the Bristol area for delivery purposes. His wholesale supplies for just two months from one Chinese source alone were identified as being worth £4,434.
A further court hearing will also be held in late October (under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002), when a confiscation order could be made for any financial benefit Goodman has gained from his criminal activities.
Goodman is the first trader to have been prosecuted by South Gloucestershire Council under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act.
Councillor Heather Goddard, executive member for community services, said: “Counterfeit sellers pocket all they earn and in this economic climate it is even more important that we take decisive action to protect legitimate traders, who are often responsible for the livelihoods of hundreds of employees.”
Neil Derrick, senior trading standards enforcement officer, said: “The sentence imposed here reflects the seriousness of the offences and the scale of Mr Goodman’s operation. The Judge commented that real manufacturers are damaged by such behaviour and that is why we deal with such offenders.”
Anyone wishing to report counterfeit sales activities can do so in confidence by contacting Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.
Source: South Gloucestershire Council
