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 →

Real Deal launches in Angelsey at LLangefni Market

In the first joint-initiative of its kind in the UK, Anglesey has joined forces with the five other North Wales authorities to support the Real Deal Charter.

The Real Deal Charter has been introduced at markets across the North Wales region, including Llangefni. The project is being co-ordinated by Trading Standards Officers from the six North Wales authorities and will provide Real Deal market procedures and advice for traders.

Continue reading →

Camden Market has joined Camden’s Council run markets in signing the national ‘Real Deal’ campaign charter. Residents and visitors to Camden’s iconic markets can shop with confidence following the signing by both organisations committing to combat the sale of counterfeit and other illegal goods. Councillor Jonathan Simpson, Cabinet member for Community Safety said: “Camden’s markets are a big attraction to both residents and visitors and help contribute to the borough’s vibrant atmosphere.  “Unfortunately markets are not uniformly regulated and can offer opportunities for those who wish to trade illegally, particularly in counterfeit and pirated goods, undermining the reputation of the venue.” Continue reading →

At the NABMA One Day Conference in Birmingham (28 January 2016), Marcus Jones MP, Minister for High Streets and Markets (above left) and NABMA President, Councillor Mick Barker (above right), visited the Real Deal exhibition stand where they were interested to hear how the campaign is facilitating local trading standards services and market operators in working together to keep markets fake-free.

At the launch of its annual IP Crime Report (September 2015), the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) highlighted the Real Deal initiative as ‘one of the key operations and partnerships that have delivered great results in 2014-15.’ The IP Crime Report also noted that reports to Crimestoppers of counterfeit goods related to markets have fallen significantly, adding, ‘It is notable that ‘market’ is the only physical location to have seen such a significant reduction in reports, which suggests that the Real Deal campaign has had a major effect in encouraging market operators to actively look out for and prohibit the sale of IP infringing goods.’

In a video address to the Anti-Counterfeiting Group Conference, the IP Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe commented:

“[On reading the IP Crime Report] I was struck by the success of the National Markets Group, to seize over 30,000 counterfeit items is impressive. Combine with success in getting almost 400 markets to commit to the Real Deal Charter and you can see the great opportunity to deliver long terms change with our market operators. Consumers, local businesses and communities all benefit from reducing the level of counterfeits at markets.”
See the full address here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IwQJu2eqsk&feature=player_embedded

Winter 2015/16.
During 2015, the Real Deal campaign continued to go from strength to strength, thanks to the endorsement and backing from our many partner organisations, and the financial support provided by our sponsors (see below) and OHIM, the EU Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs); plus, of course, the work, on the ground, of the individual local authorities, trading standards officers and market operators who have implemented the Real Deal Charter this year. Continue reading →