Albanians wear counterfeit "Armani" and "Prada" - Customs remove about 41 thousand copied clothes from circulation
It is no surprise to anyone in Albania to see citizens on the streets wearing luxury clothing brands that cost hundreds of thousands of euros, even though the average salary in the country is around 900 euros.
And no, these individuals are not just the rich or immigrants coming from abroad, but ordinary people, even those on minimum wages.
This is because the Albanian clothing market is filled with copied goods from the most luxurious brands in the world, which cost very cheaply.
This is also confirmed by the figures of the General Directorate of Customs.
During 2024, the Customs Administration has banned from circulation 40,911 pieces of various clothing and accessories, which were suspected of infringing the intellectual property of various trademarks such as: "Louis Vuitton", "Moncler", "Lacoste", "Tommy Hilfiger", "Channel", "Adidas", "Prada", "Emporio Armani", "Calvin Klein", "Miu Miu", etc., for which there is an application for action approved by the Customs Authority.
What is noticeable is that the number of banned fake clothing has increased significantly compared to 2023.
Recently, the government has initiated several legal changes aimed at providing more protection to businesses that have registered trademarks, as well as to consumers.
According to the draft, trademark owners who find that their name is being imitated or appropriated by someone else will be able to file a lawsuit in court, request the removal from circulation, confiscation and placing under control of goods that are suspected of infringing previously registered trademark rights.
On the other hand, the measures go even further.
Abusive traders can be fined huge sums and end up behind bars for trading in counterfeit goods and imitating prestigious brands. However, control starts with customs and the Albanian market needs more attention so that citizens do not fall prey to fraud, but businesses are also protected.
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