The U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group (comprised of Acushnet Company – Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra Golf; Callaway Golf – Odyssey, Top-Flite, and Ben Hogan; Cleveland Golf-Never Compromise; Nike; PING; and TaylorMade-adidas Golf) announced a record seizure of thousands of counterfeit golf products as a result of multiple raids in Shanghai and Shenzhen conducted by China’s Enforcement Authorities at the end of last year.
The raids, which targeted both factory and retail outlets in Shanghai in the east and Shenzhen in the south of China, resulted in a seizure of thousands of counterfeit golf products including clubs, bags, balls, gloves and clothing.
In Shanghai, a joint enforcement action involving officials from the Department for Administration of Industry and Commerce (AIC) and police officers from the Public Security Bureau (PSB) raided two retailers of counterfeit golf clubs and equipment. The raid netted hundreds of counterfeit golf clubs including well known brands, such as Callaway, Cleveland, Nike, Odyssey, PING, TaylorMade and Titleist.
In Shenzhen, petitioning by the US Golf Industry Group to the local Shenzhen government led to a two day operation involving raids against an assembly factory of counterfeit golf clubs and retailers of counterfeit golf equipment located in Shenzhen’s infamous Lowu shopping mall – “a notorious center for counterfeit products,” according to the Group.
Loo Shih Yann, a principal with the international law firm of Baker and McKenzie and who is coordinating efforts on behalf of the US Golf Industry Group, said he welcomed the positive action by the Chinese enforcement authorities. But he stressed that “more needs to be done” in order to get the counterfeit golf equipment problem in China under control. The actions of the police in Shanghai in pro-actively cracking down are encouraging but Loo noted that the management and landlord of the Lowu shopping mall could be doing more to ensure that tenants do not break the law by using premises to stock and sell counterfeits. If the management of the mall fails to address the problem, they could be held jointly liable with the counterfeiters, a possibility the Group said it would explore.
