Is It A Crime To Sell Counterfeit Goods?

Counterfeit goods worth $8 million were seized at a Columbus flea market on Friday, October 7, 2011.  Detectives from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office confiscated more than 41,000 items, including purses, wallets, clothing, shoes, CDs and DVDs, Sunglasses, jewelery, and clothes.  Detectives said the counterfeit items were being sold in violation of  federal trademark laws.

Trademark counterfeiting is an illegal act that occurs when a trademarked product is produced without the trademark company’s consent.  The Anticounterfeiting Consumer Protection Act and the Trademark Act of 1984 are both federal laws that criminalize the sale of counterfeit merchandise.

A person can be charged with Trademark Counterfeiting if he or she knew the trademarked merchandise was counterfeit and nevertheless sold or attempted to sell it.  it includes manufacturing, storing, transporting, and/or selling the counterfeit goods at any point from their manufacture to sale.

If you are defending against a Trademark Counterfeiting investigation or charge in Columbus or elsewhere in Ohio, you should seek immediate legal counsel from an experienced criminal defense lawyer, a defense attorney who focuses on criminal law.

If you are the subject of a subpoena  or being questioned by law enforcement agents in connection with  a Trademark Counterfeit investigation, then call us at 614 454 5010 for sound legal advice from one of our Columbus criminal defense attorneys.