Coop sold counterfeit Swiss design classics from China
Cheap Chinese knockoffs in its product lineup: Coop has removed a counterfeit item from its product lineup and regrets the incident.
The original Linck vase (left) entered the Coop assortment in a counterfeit version.
The vases of ceramic artist Margrit Linck, who died in 1983, are considered design classics and cost several hundred francs. They are still handmade today by the Linck Keramik company in the canton of Bern manufactured and sold in design stores throughout Europe.
How the NZZ on Sunday art lovers and representatives of the Linck company were equally astonished when they discovered the vases in Coop City stores for less than 10 francs - machine-made and cheaply produced in China.
An embarrassing mishap for Coop. Accordingly, the wholesaler reacted quickly to the demand of the Linck company and its legal representation to immediately remove the vases from the assortment and destroy them. A mistake had been made in the procurement, a Coop spokeswoman explained to the NZZ on Sunday. After being made aware of this, the company reacted immediately and stopped the sale, destroying several hundred copies. However, apart from saying that not many of them had been sold, the company did not want to and could not provide any further public information - for example, who manufactures the vases and sells them to Swiss wholesalers.
This is not an isolated case: According to Jürg Herren, head of the Institute for Intellectual Property, the problem has become more acute in recent years. "Last year, three quarters of all counterfeits and imitations that entered Switzerland came from China," says Herren. This puts the country at the top of the list of countries of origin of counterfeits.
One of the main reasons for the increase is the booming online trade: Swiss consumers are increasingly buying via Chinese platforms. In addition to original products, countless counterfeits are also being purchased. The Institute for Intellectual Property is therefore increasingly contacting the trading platforms and wants to hold them accountable. In the case of Alibaba in particular, this has led to considerable improvements, says Herren. Other platforms are to follow.
The newspaper also points out another problem related to the growing import of counterfeits: Namely, the development is not reflected in the statistics of the customs administration, although customs representatives confirm the increase. The reason - according to a "well-informed person - is simple and at the same time raises questions: Customs had to cut jobs in the control of counterfeit products due to the federal government's cost-cutting program. This means that there are fewer controls and, as a result, fewer seizures.
Switzerland would do well to defend the intellectual property rights of its domestic companies more strictly: According to the OECD, the Swiss Confederation is the fourth most affected country in the world by product piracy.
