Forgive Them For They Know Not What They Do. Now Do They?

God has strange lodgers

Nick Squires reports for The Telegraph that 13 million pounds worth of counterfeit souvenirs was seized before the beautification of the late pope John Paul II.

The products involved were ""family packs" of plastic rosaries which they said could be dangerous because they did not pass European safety standards."

The assumption is that the counterfeit goods originate from China: "The goods are believed to have been shipped from China to a port in northern Europe and then transported to Italy in trucks." Read Squires article here.

Catholic News USA wrote: 

"The 5.5 million items seized – which included fake Rolex, Omega and Cartier watches as well as pirate Mont Blanc pens – had a market value of around 15 million euros (S$26.9 million), it said according to an AFP report." Read here.

Another problem was that some people started to sell tickets to the beautification: "A further problem is reported by the Prefecture of the Papal Household, informed of the existence of "improper deals”, particularly via the internet, of services and tickets for payment The Household points out that there is no need of tickets to attend the ceremonies for the beatification. In addition, tickets granted by the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, at pontifical ceremonies or general audiences, are always free, and no person or institution can demand any payment." Read more here.

Last year the Vatican denounced the deaths of 700,000 people because of counterfeit drugs. See here.

If the counterfeiters wrestle with their conscience they cannot use the iPhone app "Confessions" to get forgiveness according to the Vatican, read here.

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The lizard's weekly China news roundup

IP Komodo hears righteous indignation expressed by bosses at Beijing's famous Silk Market on Wednesday at a United States trade report that accuses the mall of being "notorious" for fake goods. A Ms Hu stated to the press “I don't care about what any other media is saying about (the Silk Market). We're doing our best to fight against fake goods." 80 percent of Silk Market patrons are tourists. "The guilt for fake goods is shared between the buyer and the seller," she added. During a crackdown in October 2009, authorities found copies of Gucci, Coach and Adidas ready available and the raid led to the arrest of the mall's then-manager Wang Zili, who was charged with allowing the sale of fake goods and taking bribes. IP Komodo would like to hear from anyone who has visited the market in 2011.

Meanwhile in Guangzhou the sale of counterfeit products thrives: China-Africa Commercial Plaza has been required to close after authorities investigated and seized more than 7,600 products, including watches, garments, bags, sneakers, perfumes, cell phones, notebook computers and small household appliances - fake brand names included Rolex, Rado, Citizen, Swatch, LV, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Dior, Polo, Nokia, Sony, Burberry and Apple. Investigators looked into the sales of the counterfeit products on Feb 20 and 21. Fourteen stores in the plaza were believed to have infringed IPRs.

China's food and drug watchdog Tuesday vowed a "ruthless" crackdown on the production and sales of substandard health foods and cosmetics this year. Bian Zhenjia, deputy director of the State Food and Drug Administration said at a national conference that despite stepped-up supervision on the sector last year, the country's health food and cosmetics markets still faced many quality problems. IP Komodo notes a similar problem in his home in Indonesia where echoing the problem in China a couple of years back, a tainted milk scandal has Indonesian consumers panicking over food safety.

WIPO will be delighted at this: Chinese lawmakers on Wednesday began reviewing a revised draft law on the country's intangible cultural heritage (or to give it an acronym ICH). The draft law was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, for its third reading. This is the first attempt by China to enact a law that safeguards heritage of historical, literary, artistic or scientific value. IP Komodo senses endless seminar opportunities.

Guest post by IP Komodo Dragon

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