A new team of professionals will be brought together to help tackle the multi-billion pound trade in counterfeit goods in the UK, it emerged today.
Experts will work in groups in a fresh attempt to crack the illegal sale of products from fake CDs to designer clothes and jewellery.
The new set-up forms part of a strategy for combating "intellectual property crime" unveiled by the Patent Office earlier this month.
At the forefront will be an "intelligence hub" which will gather information about counterfeit crime from trading standards, Customs and police across the country.
It will feed the results into four sub-groups with specific responsibilities for operations, training professionals, cross-border action and publicity.
Phil Lewis, a senior policy officer at the Patent Office, said: "It will enable the local response to intellectual property crime to be co-ordinated on a regional and national level."
It is expected to be operational by next January.
Tuesday August 24, 2004
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