Company Makes Claim Against Customs
11 September 2012
Action was recently taken against Hong Kong Customs for the wrongful detention of goods, say lawyers at Rouse, writing in the firm’s China IP Express.
“In April, Hong Kong Customs intercepted a large consignment of various mobile phones at Hong Kong Airport,” the firm wrote. “The consignment consisted of about 10,000 mobile phones owned by several different companies. Some of these mobile phones were found to bear suspected fake logos, and Customs seized and detained the whole consignment.”
Among the phones detained by Customs were around 5,000 genuine phones belonging to Bestking Co. Bestking claimed that, in May, a Customs official had informed it that these phones were not suspected to be the subject of any offence. Bestking then requested Customs to release the detained phones, but Customs indicated that it was unable to do so as the matter was still under investigation, the firm said.
In September, after the phones had been held by Customs for nearly four months, Bestking launched an action against Customs for wrongfully detaining the phones. It claimed that Customs’ actions amounted to trespass and conversion and claimed relief including damages.
