August 20, 2020
The U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group (The Golf Group) today announced its largest-ever raid against counterfeiters of golf equipment. With the assistance of the Golf Group, the Shanghai Police recently conducted simultaneous comprehensive raids against online golf product sellers in four cities.
In total, over 120,000 pieces of counterfeit products were seized bearing the brand names of the Golf Group’s members including Titleist, TaylorMade, PXG, PING, Callaway, and XXIO, and 15 suspects were detained and later arrested.
The joint operation was carried out by more than 100 officers led by Shanghai Police and joined by local police in both the Guangdong and Fujian Provinces in China. They raided 10 locations at exactly the same time to avoid tip-off from among the targets.
The entire network, from the manufacturer of the club heads, shaft and grip suppliers, to owners of assembling workshops, shipping center and online chatting rooms, was rooted out completely. The counterfeit products confiscated in the raids include golf clubs, club heads, shafts, grips, bags, labels, etc. This is the largest raid that has ever been conducted against online counterfeit golf sellers in China.
“We are thrilled that Chinese police were willing to take serious action against online counterfeits even during the pandemic.” said Kristin Strojan, Legal Counsel Trademark and Brand Protection at TaylorMade Golf. “Counterfeiters have been taking advantage of the current situation and counterfeit listings have become more rampant on the internet.
We never stopped watching them even during these challenging times and continue to work with authorities worldwide to target online counterfeit sellers aggressively. This raid action sends a very strong message to the market that the Golf Group has zero-tolerance for counterfeit products and will continue to monitor the marketplace, both online and offline, to maintain the integrity of the game.”
The Chinese police have committed to further investigation of the upstream suppliers and downstream sellers that have been involved in the network and more arrests are expected.
To give consumers a behind-the-scenes look at the raid, The Golf Group has posted a number of photos of the recent raid on its website, www.keepgolfreal.com and on its Facebook page. Golfers and consumers may also visit the Golf Group Facebook page and website for more information on the Groups latest work, as well as tips and insights on how to avoid counterfeit equipment, and how to report suspected counterfeit golf equipment sellers.
About the US Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group
The US Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group consists of six of the most well-known golf companies in the world—Acushnet Company, whose brands are Titleist, FootJoy and Scotty Cameron; Callaway-Odyssey; Srixon and Cleveland Golf; PING; PXG; TaylorMade and Adams Golf. Formed in 2004, the Group has supported the efforts of international law enforcement and government agencies to conduct raids and investigations of counterfeit operations, as well as raise public awareness of the issue. Since its inception, the Golf Group’s efforts led to the shutdown of more than 1,500 websites and authorities have seized more than two million counterfeit golf products.
