By Khushwant Singh
RAIDS on a business in Sim Lim Square in August and December
2009 uncovered 7,942 fakes that included Apple, Nokia and Sony
Ericsson cell phones.
In a district court on Friday, Li Chuhan, 31, a Chinese national
and a permanent resident here, pleaded guilty to copyright and
trademark infringements and was jailed for a year and nine
months.
Investigations revealed that Li started selling MP3 and MP4
players from a kiosk in Sim Lim Square in April 2007. The court
heard that his uncle in China helped him to source for these items.
Subsequently, his uncle's son, Li Xixin, 25, arrived from Shenzhen
to join the business after completing his studies.
In April 2008, they set up a company called Yaomin Digital with
both of them as directors drawing a monthly salary of $3,000.
The cousin, who put in $120,000, was the major shareholder. They
rented a unit on the fourth floor and set up several makeshift
kiosks in the shopping centre. In July 2008, the two partners
decided to sell China-made cell phones as the sales of MP3 and MP4
devices were declining.
On Aug 7, 2009, officers attached to the Intellectual Property
Rights Branch (IPRB) of the Criminal Investigation Department
raided the premises rented by Yaomin in Sim Lim Square. A total of
615 fakes, comprising counterfeit cell phones, headsets, batteries,
user manuals and packaging, were seized. But this did not deter Li.
A second raid on Dec 2, 2010 was conducted and a further 7,327
fakes were discovered. Li's cousin is on the run.
