A SWOOP on a Blackburn workshop uncovered more than 1,000 pairs of fake designer jeans, a court was told.
Nazir Ugradar, 24, of Oswald Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty at Blackburn Magistrates' Court to a total of 16 charges under the Trade Marks Act 1994. The case was adjourned until March 9 for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.
Ugradar admitted seven charges of applying false trade marks to goods, seven of possessing material bearing a false trade mark and one of possession of an article for making copies of a trademark. Seven other charges under the Trade Descriptions Act were withdrawn.
Trading Standards area manager Chris Allen, prosecuting, said trading standards officers went to premises in Randal Street, Blackburn, in June last year. They found jeans being manufactured on the premises.
A total of 469 fake pairs of finished Levi's, 265 pairs of unfinished Levi's, 13 pairs of Calvin Klein, 177 of Dolce e Gabbana, 107 Armani, one Tommy Hilfiger and one Yves Saint Laurent pair of finished jeans were found. Tens of thousands of components to make thousands more pairs of jeans were seized from the premises, along with manufacturing machinery.
Mr Allen said: "They are not a cheap copied item. They are an attempt to replicate the original style of the jeans from the trademark owners."
Brent Patterson, defending, said Ugradar had three machines left from a previous business venture.
He stored the machines at a unit rented by his father.
A business contact of Ugradar had asked him to produce the fake jeans, Mr Patterson added.
"That business contact pressured him considerably, nagged time and time again," he said.
"Eventually he agreed to it, foolishly.
"He had been doing this work for two days. It was the one and only time he had dealt with this gentleman. It was the first lot and no items had been dispatched."
Ugradar realised the labels were fake but did not realise how serious the matter was.
"He did not make any money," said Mr Patterson.
"He is still on benefits. He realises there is no such thing as an easy buck."
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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