On 9 December 2021 at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court, James Goodwin (32, of Weymouth) was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work for selling counterfeit clothing. Mr.Goodwin had pleaded guilty to the six specimen offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994 at an earlier hearing. Costs were also awarded to the council of £1,689 and a £90 victim surcharge was imposed.
The court heard how, following a complaint, Dorset Council’s Trading Standards service found that the defendant was running a business called “jjckids” with online stores on Amazon and eBay. Test purchases of t-shirts were carried out and all six items purchased were found to be unauthorised copies of registered trademarks, including Star Wars, Harry Potter and Disney.
Genuine items would have retailed for as much as twice the amount charged by Mr Goodwin. At interview, he admitted that he printed some of the items himself and some he had imported. During the period of the investigation, officers found that the retail value of equivalent legitimate stock to that sold by Mr Goodwin was £40,000.
The bench heard that Mr Goodwin had co-operated throughout and ceased trading as soon as he became aware of the investigation.
Richard Herringshaw, Principal Trading Standards Officer at Dorset Council, said: –
“Counterfeiting is not a victimless crime. Counterfeiters can undermine legitimate businesses, avoid tax and provide inferior goods. The Trading Standards service will take appropriate action where it is found to be happening in Dorset.
To report concerns to Trading Standards, contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or visit their website. This is the first point of contact for all consumers on Trading Standards issues.”
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