Relevant Antipiracy Actions

As one of the most active firms in anti-counterfeiting and piracy actions AM&L constantly organizes raids with Mexico’s Attorney General Office and the Federal Police to seize counterfeit products. In 2011, we coordinated 18 raids, seizing 957,149 counterfeit products, such as watches, sunglasses, jewelry, briefcases, cufflinks, purses, wallets, t-shirts (with rolls of fabric, multi-arm press machines and serigraphic frames), tennis shoes, backpacks, DVDs, videogames, stationary products, etc. During 2011 we also carried out 626 seizures at customs, preventing 2,632,763 counterfeit products from entering the market.

Some of the most significant events were in 2011 were:

 

May

  • As the result of the excellent coordination between the AM&L investigation team and the agents of the Attorney General’s Office, a raid was executed in Estadio Azteca, with respect to counterfeit goods which were being sold because of the concert in Mexico of a famous English rock band.

 

There were approximately 180 booths located at the surroundings of Estadio Azteca, selling counterfeit merchandise related to the band. Most of the booths were offering t-shirts, mugs, caps, sweatshirts, posters, bracelets, stickers, guitar toys, pens and other souvenirs. Counterfeit pins, key chains, scarves, car-plate carriers, backpacks and lighters, were also seized from the street vendors.

In total 5,296 forged products were seized, bearing the rock band’s trademarks.

 

June

  • After a valuable period of investigation, Arochi, Marroquín & Lindner in conjunction with personnel from the Attorney General’s Office and from the Federal Police, organized a raid of an establishment which was selling unauthorized luxury brands goods through ads published in a Mexican Newspaper.

 

Counterfeit shirts, suits, suit carriers, suit pants, hangers and ties were found in the store. In total 311 forged products were seized.

 

August

  • As a part of the beginning of the new school year important seizures of counterfeit pencils and color pencils were carried out in the Center of Mexico City, that were being sold on the street. Stores that kept counterfeit products were also seized.

 

This joint effort between AM&L and members of the Special Unit for the Investigation of Crimes against Copyright and Industrial Property (UEIDDAPI) of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), resulted in the seizure of in total 339,872 items.

These actions reflect the excellent coordination and collaboration between the public and private sector.

 

  • Arochi, Marroquín & Lindner coordinated a raid with the valuable collaboration of the Special Unit for the Investigation of Crimes against Copyright and Industrial Property (UEIDDAPI) of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) in León, Guanajuato, in order to seize bags and wallets, as well as sneakers of various marks.

15 Agents of the Attorney General’s Office and almost 100 officers of the Federal Police participated in the raid to carry out the search warrant on 17 booths located in the so-called “Zona Piel”, which is an area in León known for the sale of leather products considered counterfeit.

In total 16,005 products were seized, as well as three stores that were used for storage, on a large scale, of said products.

 

October

  • A raid was carried out in six stores and two print-shops, establishments dedicated to the manufacture, distribution, and sale of counterfeit posters and stickers. This activity was done together with the Special Unit for the Investigation of Crimes against Copyright and Industrial Property (UEIDDAPI). The results were 6 seized properties, finding in one of the print-shops machinery that manufactures around 24,000 posters per hour, 25 persons detained, and about 60 tons of counterfeit merchandise. Diverse companies represented by AM&L participated in this important effort.

 

The importance of this raid is that in addition to seizing a large quantity of merchandise, points of sale and printers of counterfeit posters and stickers were also seized, thus avoiding future manufacture, distribution, and sale of this counterfeit material that on the black market has a value of several million pesos, affirming that our clients will not be violated again by these manufacturers and distributors.