The Malawi Police Fiscal and Fraud Unit recently carried out a successful operation resulting in the seizure of 71 suspected counterfeit Flames Moto replica jerseys from M&D Fashion Shop in Blantyre.
The shop owner identified as Ellah Littah, from Nsaliwa Village, TA Kalembo in Balaka District has been arrested and charged with counterfeit trademark contrary to section 388 sub section (d)(e) of the penal code.
The suspect is expected to appear in court in due course as inquiries are under way to discover the source of the product.
The Football Association of Malawi holds the legal rights to the Replica Jerseys branded as “Moto,” which are officially registered as its intellectual property.
FAM also owns the brands of Flames and Scorchers, as brand names of the Malawi Men’s and Women’s National teams respectively, which are duly registered with Registrar of Trademark.
FAM Marketing and Broadcasting Manager Tulipo Mwenelupembe said the Association engaged Police after noticing counterfeit merchandise of its brands on the market.
Mwenelupembe expressed his gratitude to the Malawi Police for their continuous efforts in combatting the sale of fake replicas to ensure that consumers are protected from fraudulent products.
“As the custodian of the above registered brands and Trademarks we noticed counterfire merchandise and engaged Police to assist us in bursting this syndicate. We commend the Malawi Police for this successful operation and this should serve as a warning to other perpetrator as the exercise will continue across the country.
“We encourage the public to make authentic purchases through FAM and its authorized distributors, ensuring that they purchase genuine, high-quality products,” said Mwenelupembe.
The following are the authorised FAM Merchandise distributors:
Blantyre: Into Sports, Formula 1, Crystal Duty Free Shop (Chileka Airport and Amaryllis Hotel), Touch of Class, CP Investments, Pakhale
Zomba: AJ Fashions
Mzuzu: Gift Collections, Zampira Sports Shop
Lilongwe: CP Investments, Into Sports, Phatafuli Investments, ADL Shop at Kamuzu International Airport, BICC Souvenir Shop
