Ningbo Customs officers inspect counterfeit electric footballs

The other day, Ningbo Customs seized a total of 10,080 electric footballs infringing the ’RUSSIA 2018‘ trademark rights, which were identified by the IPR holder. This case, valued at 87,500 Yuan, marked Ningbo Customs’ first seizure of electric footballs infringing the Russian World Cup intellectual property rights.

This batch of footballs was declared by a trading company from Jiangxi Province for export to Panama in the mode of ordinary trade. Upon physical inspection, Customs officers of Meishan Customs in Ningbo Customs District, found these electric footballs printed with the ’RUSSIA SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP 2018‘ logo. Finally it was confirmed by the IPR holder that these footballs are infringing the ’RUSSIA 2018‘ trademark registered by FIFA at the General Administration of Customs.

As the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 will kick off this June, China Customs has started the China-Russia joint operation 2018 on IPR enforcement on March 1, so as to strengthen the IPR protection for FIFA and relevant sponsors.