Shopkeeper arrested on suspicion of trademark offences following joint operation in Liverpool city centre

We have arrested a shop keeper on suspicion of trademark offences following a joint operation with Liverpool City Council and Apple Inc.

At around 3.20pm on Monday 3 March patrols attended at a phone store in Liverpool city centre with representatives from Liverpool City Council Trading Standards and a representative from the Apple Incorporated Company as part of a police and partner organisation operation.

The representative of Apple Inc. made patrols aware that there were items, including Airpods, on display behind the shop’s counter that were displaying the Apple logo but were not genuine Apple products.

A 42-year-old man from the Liverpool area was arrested on suspicion of unauthorised use of a trademark contrary to Section 94 of the Trademark Act 1994. During enquiries a quantity of cash was found and the man was further arrested for possession of criminal property.

He was also arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled drug Class B.

Following a search of the store a large quantity of cash was recovered and seized together with Apple phone cases and Apple Airpods. The money recovered has been seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The man was taken into custody and later released under investigation pending further enquiries.

City centre Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Jack Woodward said: “This forms part of our ongoing work in the city centre aimed at disrupting criminal activity and being a visible presence to deter antisocial behaviour and criminality.

“We know that large groups of youths frequently gather in the city causing issues for businesses and members of the public and we are aiming to combat that through our proactive partnership work.

“We have a range of tools at our disposal to deal with a number of different offences, many of which we can link to ongoing ASB and disorder issues.

“We have regular uniformed patrols, which I hope will reassure the public and visitors to the city, and we will continue to work with our partners and utilise technology including CCTV and CityWatch cameras to identify and apprehend offenders.”