Sverdlovsk Region Arbitration Court made a local sole trader A. M. Frolova face administrative liability for selling counterfeited clothes.

The legal action started when the owners of Burberry trademark applied to Sverdlovsk Region Department of Internal Affairs, asking to look into the illegal use of Burberry trademark by a clothes shop in Hermes Plaza mall in Yekaterinburg. The inspection that the police officers conducted resulted in confiscation of some clothing items, including those with Burberry labels.

The examination of the confiscated produce proved that the clothes were fake and never manufactured by the real trademark owner. They were also of poor quality and had a different labeling system.

All this gave Sverdlovsk Region Arbitration Court legal grounds to prosecute the business for violating Article 14.10 of the Russian Federation Administrative Offense Code (illegal trademark abuse), which provides for a fine and confiscation and destruction of the offending items.

According to lawyer Ekaterina Solonitsina, who represented Burberry in court, this is actually a somewhat common case for the court to consider. Among the most recent cases is the sale of pirated Zegna and Ermenegildo Zegna clothing in Antey Shopping Center.