United have been busy blowing the whistle on rogue factories producing counterfeit merchandise.
Following the club’s impressive haul during the Asia Tour last year, United have continued with its proactive enforcement work. In the last three months the club has found numerous factories based around China, principally in the provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jinjiang and Guangzhou.
All of the factories had been producing vast quantities of fake goods and distributing them around the world. The sting operation saw the seizure and confiscation of more than 20,000 items, including more than 10,000 of the club’s home shirt.
The operation to highlight the problem of faking United merchandise took months of planning and co-ordination. Insider tip offs help expose the areas, while the factories targeted were breached by local enforcement officers on the authorisation of the club’s TradeMark department. The factories have since been shut down and the owners prosecuted.
“It was a great result for the club,” said a club spokesman. “The products seized were of poor quality and had not been safety tested; they may have duped our fans. Official merchandise is of a higher quality, which is what our fans demand and deserve. We are committed to protecting our fans, to ensure they get the real deal and we will continue to target the counterfeit industry.”
If you have any information regarding counterfeit Manchester United merchandise, please contact the Trade Marks Department, confidentially at [email protected].
