Major clothing brands allow counterfeit goods into Belgium to avoid disposal costs
Well-known international clothing brands regularly allow counterfeit versions of their products to be sold on the Belgian market, the FPS Finance told VRT’s consumer programme WinWin. Destroying and recycling the fake goods costs the brands too much money.
Of the 4.5 billion customs declarations that leave China for Europe every year, around 1 billion pass through Liège Airport, according to Francis Adyns of the FPS Finance and Customs.
Belgian officers intercept counterfeit goods from China every day but are not allowed to simply destroy them.
“We can only identify and set them aside,” says Adyns. “The brand owners – such as Nike and Adidas – have to decide what happens to the copies of their brand. Sometimes they just say: let the counterfeits through.”
Brands must decide whether to consider the goods as counterfeit. If they do, they are legally obliged to have them disposed of.
Goods such as perfume or batteries must be destroyed. Clothes and shoes must be recycled, which costs up to 3 euros per kilo – three times more expensive than having them destroyed.
"The brand owners have to decide what happens to the copies of their brand. Sometimes they just say: let the counterfeits through"
These costs are the reason some brands prefer not to label goods as counterfeit and allow them in. As a result, Belgium, is becoming a hub for counterfeit goods in Europe.
“Counterfeiting remains prohibited and our Economic Inspection applies a different legal framework than the customs service,” Lien Meurisse, spokesperson for the FPS Economy, told VRT.
“We have police powers, customs officers do not. We can seize goods and notify the public prosecutor’s office. Our inspectors check physical shops and online shops and also visit people’s homes.”
If inspectors detect counterfeiting, the brand must pay for destruction or recycling. Depending on the case, the inspectorate can impose a fine of up to 800,000 euros on a trader caught dealing in counterfeit goods, with a possible prison sentence of up to five years.
The makers of WinWin approached brands including Nike and Adidas for a response but received no answer.
Counterfeit shoes and toys pictured at a press event in 2018 © BELGA PHOTO THIERRY ROGE
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