Fake branded clothes to be donated to cyclone victims

Fake branded products that had been seized by the government will be donated to cyclone victims in the National Capital Region (NCR) and northern Luzon, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Tuesday. Lawyer Willie Sarmiento, head of the Customs Intellectual Property Unit (IPU), said trademark owners had agreed to donate 10,000 pieces of fake Lacoste shirts and 16,000 pieces of fake Levis pants to the victims. Trademark owners do not usually donate or even release imitated products, but the BOC said they made an exemption for the victims of tropical storm “Ondoy" and typhoon “Pepeng." He said the trademarks on the clothing apparels would be removed and shredded, after which the “brandless clothing" would be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for distribution. “These fake products, if I’m not mistaken, were confiscated during the second quarter this year upon its shipment at the two ports in Manila," Sarmiento said. Two groups composed of Customs IPU employees on Tuesday noon started removing the trademarks of the pirated goods at Warehouse 15. Sarmiento said that they are also looking to donate 80,000 pairs of fake Nike and Converse shoes to the victims of the two killer cyclones. The BOC had earlier delivered four units of 20-footer container vans of smuggled used clothes and two units of 20-footer container vans of luncheon meat to the DSWD for repacking and distribution. - GMANews.TV