Fake Hermès Bags Worth £10 Million Seized

Hundreds of counterfeit Hermèsbags were uncovered in LA last month, with a value of almost £10 million. US Customs and Borders Protection seized two shipments from China – and over 1,500 fake basgs – at the Long Beach port in February, worth $14.1 million (£9.36 million).”Once again this seizure demonstrates the high level of skill and vigilance of our officers in protecting the intellectual property rights of companies and individuals,” Todd Owen, director of CBP’s Los Angeles field office, toldWWD. “As well as preventing the proliferation of counterfeit luxury handbags, potentially damaging our national economy.”No arrests have yet been made in connection with the goods seized.In other news, German television network, Ante, has confirmed plans to screen a documentary tonight, centring around the brand’s heir, Patrick Guerrand-Hermès- despite a previous court injunction preventing the film from being shown.A Paris civil court ruled that the programme – which features details of an ongoing land ownership dispute in Morocco between the businessman and a local family – could not be broadcast “in its current form”, as it reveals his address and breaches his right to privacy, reportsWWD. A spokesperson for Arte confirmed that “the court ordered that certain scenes should be cut or blurred”.As the injunction was aimed at the production company, Epiphène Films, as opposed to the network, its believed that the documentary –Hercule contre Hermès(Hercules versus Hermès) – will be broadcast unaltered. The fashion house declined to comment.

http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2013/03/07/hermes-fake-bags-seized—counterfeit-goods—banned-documentary-to-air