Macedonian Customs: China'S Counterfeit Sports Shoes Are Hard To Find

According to the Macedonian business monthly, Mr Vinso Kalgov, director general of the Macedonian General Administration of customs, said: "in 2007, Macedonian customs confiscated 1 million 460 thousand different types of counterfeit goods, involving 200 separate trips.

This is an astonishing increase compared with the 70 thousand counterfeit commodities in 2006.

In 2006, there were 47 cases involving intellectual property rights, up to 207 in 2007.

800 thousand counterfeit goods have been destroyed, most of the counterfeit goods are NIKE, ADIDAS, HUGOBOSS, NOKIA and LANCOME, and other famous brand products.

Almost 62% of the counterfeit goods are in Macedonia.

Experts in Macedonia say the counterfeit goods in Macedonia are similar to those in other neighbouring countries.

Fortunately, counterfeit goods found in Macedonia to date have no food.

According to the experts' introduction, apart from the price, counterfeit goods are most easily distinguishable from their packaging and misspelled trademarks.

The most difficult to find are counterfeit sneakers from China, because they often use genuine packaging boxes.

A small country in Macedonia does not have a large container unloading port, so counterfeit goods are smaller.

As part of combating counterfeit goods, Macedonian customs organized publicity activities to protect intellectual property in September 2007 and October.