|
Swindon,
Wiltshire, 20th March - Wiltshire Trading Standards Officers
in conjunction with Titleist and Foot-Joy have won a major criminal
convinction against the owner of a former retail golf company accused
of selling copy golf clubs.
Robert Rata,
aged 29 of Ashbourne, Derby, trading as Rata and Rata, was convicted
on six charges of offences against the Trade Marks Act of 1994 at
Swindon Magistrates Court, following a case brought by Wiltshire
County Council's Trading Standards Department. Sentencing was adjourned
for a month for reports but Rata could face heafty fines of up to
£5,000 for each offence or up to six months in prison.
Area Trading
Standards Officer for Swindon, Robert Taylour, said the charges
had been brought following a combined investigation with Titleist
and Foot-Joy Worldwide, in which copy Titleist golf clubs had been
found on sale in two outlets in the area and one near Cheltenham
in 1996.
Rata pleaded
not guilty but after a full day's hearing magistrates found all
charges proved. They heard evidence from experts from Titleist as
to the inferior quality of the MDD Progressive clubs, which infringed
trademarks on the company's Titleist DCI irons.
Keith Halsey,
on behalf of Acushnet, said after the hearing, "we are delighted
that a prime mover in the passing off trade had been brought to
justice. Titleist and the golf industry in general are prepared
to take whatever steps are necessary to safeguard our customers'
interests and those of the industry at large."
Acushnet are
a member of the Action Group Against Imitation Golf Products (AGRIP),
set up last year to combat the growing problem of copy golf products.
|
