GALLERY and VIDEO: Department of Trade and Industry embarks on a counterfeit goods raid
RANDBURG CBD: The Department of Trade and Industry has embarked on a raid of various shops selling counterfeit goods in the Randburg area.
The National Department of Trade and Industry embarked on a robust raid at the Randburg area to confiscate counterfeit materials from the creative arts industry on 15 October.
The raid was led by the department’s Deputy Minister Mzwandile Masina along with JMPD, police, Robbie Malinga and Mzwakhe Mbuli from the creative industry and Consumer Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC).
“Today we are undertaking the raid of the establishments that produce and trade in the counterfeit material,” explained Masina.
He said this trade was infringing the intellectual property rights of artists and actors. “These deeds directly robbed off the actors and the artists their financial incentives for their products,” he explained.
He concluded that the raid was successful as some of the sellers ran away. “We will be doing a number of these operations throughout the country because we want to clamp down on these criminal activities,” he said.
Some of the vendors who were selling counterfeit DVDs and CDs at the Flea Market closed their stalls when realising that authorities wanted to check the products. This, however, prompted the authorities to forcefully open those stalls.
It was then established that all the materials sold in those stalls were counterfeit and the deputy minister insisted that the landlord should be held accountable for allowing the tenants to trade there.
Poet Mzwakhe Mbuli complained that not only the artists but the entire industry was affected. “The industry is losing a lot of money. As we are speaking now Gallo is gone EMI is gone,” he said.
He further explained that the piracy syndicates had rebranded themselves. “It is three in one now. It is drugs, music and pornography. When you see the CD you should not assume that it is music. When you arrive at home you might find out that it is pornography and it is rife,” he said.
Amanda Lothering from the CIPC said they were doing awareness to the public “be your own by your own” to build nation and make sure residents that support intellectual property rights.
“Today we are working closely with police, specifically the Commercial Crime Unit which has a mandate for counterfeiting and piracy,” she said.
Details: Department of Trade and Industry 012 394 1650; CIPC 086 100 2472.
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