AGCM

PRESS RELEASE

THE FIGHT AGAINST COUNTERFEIT GOODS: THE ANTITRUST AUTHORITY, WITH THE COOPERATION OF MEMBERS OF THE ANTITRUST GROUP OF THE SPECIAL MARKET PROTECTION UNIT OF THE GUARDIA DI FINANZA (ITALIAN TAX POLICE) BLOCKS 33 SITES THAT WERE SELLING POTENTIALLY TOXIC COUNTERFEIT NIKE BRAND SHOES

Following this intervention the number of sites that were made inaccessible has risen to 54 because besides Nike products they were also selling fake products of the brands Tod’s, Gucci, Prada, Hogan, Ray-Ban, Roger Viver and Armani

The Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, with the collaboration of investigations by members of the Antitrust Group of the Special Market Protection Unit of the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Tax Police), blocked 33 sites that were selling counterfeit Nike shoes. The sites, owned by Chinese nationals, were rendered inaccessible under two separate proceedings for unfair trade practices.

The precautionary measures were decided by the Authority chaired by Giovanni Pitruzzella to protect many consumers who bought on sites that, because of their design and the graphics used, with several images taken from the original Nike site, could easily mislead, making people believe that these were original products offered at an outlet price. In fact, according to what emerges from reports by the company owning the brand, sent to the Authority by Associazione Indicam, these were counterfeit products with features, even in terms of safety of the materials used, that were very different from those of the original products. Moreover, on the basis of a complaint by Associazione Adoc, it resulted that many counterfeit Nike shoes that were confiscated in recent years by the competent authorities were produced with materials that are hazardous to health such as hexavalent chromium and DMF (dimethylfumarate), an anti-mould chemical whose use is banned in Europe because it is highly toxic.

The sites also lacked details on the identity and on the geographical address of the seller together with an indication of all the rights that are provided for sales via the web for the safeguard of consumers after purchasing a product, including the right for a replacement and/or reimbursement and the right to terminate the purchase. Being counterfeit products, what was obviously altogether missing was the legal guarantee of conformity.

As a result of this measure the number of sites that used to sell counterfeit products and that were blocked by the Antitrust Authority with the collaboration of members of the Antitrust Group of the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Tax Police), rose to 54: besides Nike, the interventions have concerned brands such as Tod’s, Gucci, Prada, Hogan, Ray-Ban, Roger Viver and Armani.

Rome, 15^th November 2013