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WEDNESDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2009
Poland: Gazeta wants to free Winnie the Pooh
 The Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza recently reported problems that customs officers from Gdynia faced when in 2007 they seized 1760 jackets with Winnie the Pooh trade mark. These counterfeits should be burned, but it was found that it would be better to donate them to poor children. In accordance with the European Union law, the court in Gdynia ruled on the seizure of counterfeited jackets for the State Treasury. This means that all are to be burned. When will this happen depends on the decision of the Head of the Custom Chamber in Gdynia. However, it looks like he does not want to do it so eagerly…
- These are nice jackets, colorful. We thought that instead of destroying them, it is better to donate them to poor children - explained Krzysztof Retyk – Head of the CC in Gdynia. As Gazeta reports the Custom Chamber in Gdynia receives a dozen requests from different charity organizations every month. However, it is a big problem for the customs officers, because in order to “save” jackets, Disney's consent is required. Almost a year ago Krzysztof Retyk sent a letter on this matter to Hogan & Hartson who represent Disney in such cases. The response came after several months and was unfortunately negative. Gazeta Wyborcza cited H&H's response:
We accept a solution that will be limited to the elimination from the market of the products originating from illegal sources and infringing the rights of Disney company, through the destruction of children's jackets bearing counterfeit trademarks As Gazeta reports the Customs officers are still reluctant to burn these clothes.
- They’ve been ordered to burn a new, nice clothes! - Bożena Rogowska, who runs a surrogate house in Łęgowo for a dozen of children, feels indignant – and my kids lack new clothes and they wear the same jackets for years. Tadeusz Cymański, the MEP from PiS, has promised to improve regulations which leads to such situations.
These jackets should reach to the orphanages. Unfortunately, the cult of profit is increasingly obscuring different values (...) I will officially send a request the European Commission. At the end of its article Gazeta Wyborcza asks why the custom officers care so much about these jackets?
Because contrary to the current opinion, a customs officer is also a human being and his heart bleeds when he has to destroy something very nice and valuable. We destroy cigarettes and vodka without batting an eyelid – say Marcin Daczko from the CC in Gdynia.
(image by Gazeta Wyborcza)
Posted by: Tomasz Rychlicki @ 12.20
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