The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) has suspended a website selling fake UEFA merchandise and national kits, as they announce that they have taken down over 10,000 websites selling counterfeit goods since the unit’s launch in 2013.
The site www.eurocup2016.co.uk which sold team kits for as little as a third of the cost of a genuine item, had been live on the internet for less than two weeks prior to the suspension which was made in partnership with Nominet, the UK’s central registry to all. UK domains.
The vast majority of suspended websites purported to sell branded sportswear mostly trainers. Other notable fake goods sold via counterfeit sites are handbags, jewellery, electrical goods and fashion accessories.
A Nominet report which was published in March 2016 revealed that the partnership accounted for the majority (93%) of all website suspensions undertaken by associated law enforcement agencies and regulators through Nominet’s process in 2015.
Websites continue to come to PIPCU’s notice for investigation via referrals from brands, stakeholders and other law enforcement agencies and the public.
Head of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Ratcliffe said: “Dismantling websites which sell counterfeit goods remains at the core of protecting online consumers. Over 60% of these sites which come to our notice in April were registered using stolen personal details. This clearly demonstrates that criminals are not only ripping people off but they are also using their identity to commit further crime. We are working closely with sports brands and UEFA during the Championships to ensure that swift action is taken against those who are preying on the good faith of football fans searching for a good deal.”
