The company was also fined £6000 today at Ipswich Crown Court.
In addition to the criminal prosecution against Mr Taylor and Sticar-It Ltd Suffolk, Trading Standards obtained a Confiscation Order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 ordering Mr Taylor to pay a further £25,200; the agreed figure of his criminal benefit
Last month, Christopher Taylor, 42, of Lidgate Court, Felixstowe, along with his company, Sticar-it Limited, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of Trade Marks Act 1994 violations and five counts against the Copyright Designs & Patents Act 1988. Some of the trademarks affected included Land Rover, Ford Motor Company and Tweety Bird.
More counterfeit items are being sold online than ever before and spotting copies is not always easy. Trading Standards officers have provided the following top tips to stop Suffolk residents falling victim to buying counterfeit goods online:
· Ensure the website address begins with “https” at the payment stage
o This indicates that any payments will be secure.
· Keep security software and firewalls up to date. Regularly update your internet browser when a new patch-security update is released.
· Don’t access links in unsolicited emails; always type in the website address or use a search engine to find a site.
· Check the spelling and grammar on the website, and also of the URL. Often the people behind these sites do not pay a lot of attention of care to this detail. Fraudsters may also try to deceive you by slightly changing the spelling of a well-known brand or shop in the website address.
For further advice on counterfeit goods, or if you suspect someone of selling counterfeit goods please contact Trading Standards via Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 040506.