Counterfeit imports can now be destroyed without brand owners having to go to court

Goods which are suspected of being counterfeit can now be destroyed without the brand owner having to go to court to get an order in respect of each consignment. This change reverses the rules which HMRC brought into force last year, which dramatically increased the costs and admin for protecting trade marked products. The new rules mean that brand owners can try to contact the importer to state that they believe the goods to be counterfeit. If the importer agrees or does not respond to the brand owner’s contact, the brand owner can now destroy the goods without having to go to court. This will now help brand owners protect their brands, particularly when trying to stop the importing of lots of small consignments of counterfeit material.