As part of the NABMA Diploma in Market Administration, students attend three two-day courses in Derby, one of which is dedicated to trading standards law in relation to trademark and copyright infringement. At this year’s session, Gavin Terry, Chartered Trading Standards Institute Lead Officer for IP, gave a fascinating overview of intellectual property law which prompted a wide range of questions from delegates and a healthy debate. Patricia Lennon’s follow-up presentation on the Real Deal was also well-received by those attending as it outlined how simple procedures and working closely with trading standards can be hugely beneficial to market managers in preventing IP infringement at their venues.

Market officers seeking simple hints and tips and the law relating to this subject, will find the leaflet How to Stay IP Legal helpful, it can be downloaded here.  Another useful source of information is the CTSI Business Companion website.

Market officers interested in undertaking the DMA course in 2018, should contact NABMA’s Professional Development Consultant – Stephen Pickering by email on: diploma@nabma.com

PEOPLE are being urged to be vigilant and avoid buying counterfeit goods if they’re heading to one of Staffordshire’s Easter bank holiday markets or car boot sales.

The first bank holiday of the year also marks the beginning of the car boot sale and markets season.

Staffordshire County Council’s trading standards manager Brandon Cook said: “Bank holiday markets are great family events and we support the organisers running them. We’re part of the national Real Deal markets campaign which encourages market event organisers to help us in tackling counterfeit goods sales.

“We want people to avoid the pitfalls of counterfeit goods this holiday weekend and throughout the year – protecting themselves and legitimate businesses.

“Counterfeit goods are increasingly hard to detect just to look at, so when something is being sold at a knock-down price, people should be extremely wary. We always say that if a price of an item is too good to be true, it usually is.

“Anyone who buys counterfeit goods will land themselves with shoddy goods which may be dangerous and at the same time line criminals’ pockets.”

Anyone wanting to report counterfeit goods sales can call the anonymous Staffordshire Fight the Fakes line on 01785 330356.

Read more – http://www.staffordshirenewsletter.co.uk/stay-safe-and-avoid-counterfeits-this-bank-holiday/story-30260955-detail/story.html

Picture above shows the launch of the Real Deal Charter at Ashwood Car Boot Fair last year, one of several in the county with more to follow.

Shoppers at Eastleigh Market can rest assured they won’t be buying fakes this Christmas, after traders signed up to the Real Deal Campaign to stop the sale of counterfeit goods.

Hampshire County Council Trading Standards and Eastleigh Borough Council have teamed up with local traders on the Real Deal Charter, to prevent fake, illicit and potentially dangerous goods being sold to shoppers.  Continue reading →

In the run-up to Christmas, Leighton Linslade Town Council has teamed up with Central Bedfordshire Council’s Trading Standards team and local traders to launch the Real Deal charter at the historic Leighton Buzzard market, which has been a feature of the town since c1086. The market is the first in Central Bedfordshire to sign up to the Real Deal charter which works to prevent fake, illicit and potentially dangerous goods being sold to shoppers. Read more here . . . 

Ross Ballinger, 16, from Stone Staffordshire was named National Young Trader of the Year for his business Phoenix Engravers

Setting out on the right foot in retail business means being aware of the legal responsibilities of trading including intellectual property law. Read more about how the NMTF’s National Youth Market initiative is helping young traders on their first steps . . . Continue reading →

At the recent CTSI National Conference in Telford, the National Markets Group (NMG) announced the winners of their 2016 awards which recognise the significant impact that the recipients have made in tackling counterfeiting and piracy at markets, car boot sales and on social media.

The recipients of the awards were:

Team award
Winner: Rhondda Cynon Taf Trading Standards, Community Protection and Enforcement Team

Individual awards
Winners: Lesley Jenkins, Walsall Trading Standards and Ceri Martin, Wrexham Trading Standards

Certificate of excellence in Anti-Counterfeiting Enforcement
Lincolnshire Trading Standards

For more details on the awards . . .  Continue reading →

In June and July this year, Operation Jasper, the biggest and longest enforcement action to tackle counterfeiting and piracy on social media, extended its reach into Eire and Scotland as officers from Trading Standards and the Police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are joined by their Scottish and Irish equivalents in the fight against social media counterfeiting. The move is part of the latest phase of Operation Jasper, which was launched in May 2015. Continue reading →

Want to know how to spot a fake? Gavin Terry, Lead Officer for Intellectual Property at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute explains what to look for in this informative piece for BBC 5Live  [watch here]

You can also download this Real Deal leaflet by Gavin Terry, which sets out ‘the 4 Ps’ on how to spot a fake and provides helpful advice to market operators and traders on How to Stay IP legal.

New Watford Market is the latest in the county to sign the Real Deal charter with Hertfordshire County Council Trading Standards Service.

Andrew Sparrow, executive director of WMC Retail, operators of New Watford Market, said: “By signing the Real Deal Charter we are giving an assurance to customers that they can shop at the market with confidence. We are also able to offer advice to traders together with a strong message that we will only allow stalls selling safe and genuine products.”

Read the full story at: http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/14537198.New_Watford_Market_signs_up_to_nationwide_scheme_battling_counterfeit_goods/

Staffordshire county council has now signed its third Real Deal agreement with the organisers of a car boot event in South Staffordshire. Ashwood Car Boot Fair has joined the campaign, which aims to clean up the sale of counterfeit goods. The campaign brings together councils, market operators and traders, industry groups, and copyright and trademark owners. Event organisers signing up to the Real Deal charter are demonstrating their commitment to tackling counterfeit goods sales and keeping visitors safe.

Photo caption: Principal trading standards officer Mark Wilson (left) with Ashwood Car Boot Fair organiser Matthew Roberts.

Continue reading →