ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, September 4, 1996 TAG: 9609040073
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: HILLSVILLE
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
Authorities in Carroll County are cracking down on the sale of counterfeit items by flea market vendors under a new state law that took effect in July.
Sheriff H. Warren Manning said the operation began during the Labor Day Gun Show and Flea Market. It targeted such items as T-shirts, watches, hats, pocketbooks and NASCAR memorabilia.
It was carried out by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office; Hillsville Police Department; and Arnold, Mills & Powers Inc., a Charlotte, N.C., company that specializes in trademark protection.
The group combed the flea market for counterfeit items and seized the ones that were found. Vendors selling the items were arrested under a new Virginia law that makes it a misdemeanor to sell any reproduction, copy or imitation of any registered trademark.
A number of arrests were made, and more are expected as the investigation spreads to other states and federal agencies become involved, Manning said.
While the first violation of the new law is a misdemeanor, subsequent violations by the same person are felonies. The law was passed not only to protect the interests of those holding the rights to trademarks, Manning said, but also to assist businesses operating legitimately.
"The counterfeiting of trademarked materials results in the loss of billions of dollars to legitimate businesses and ultimately results in the loss of jobs in the United States and higher prices to the consumer," he said in a statement to media.
"This operation was very well received by legitimate vendors at the flea market, who said that they were tired of being undersold by counterfeiters, some of which had been arrested at other flea markets in other states," the sheriff said.
LENGTH: Short : 41 linesby CNB