IP enforcement agency to strike out counterfeit MLB merch peddlers

The Major League Baseball (MLB) Seoul series kicks off at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul next week. [NEWS1]

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) will crack down on any fake merchandise being sold during the Major League Baseball (MLB) Seoul series at the newly-refurbished Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul next week.

The MLB season kicks off in Seoul with a two-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres on March 20 and 21, with both games starting at 7:05 p.m. They will be the first MLB regular-season games to be held in Korea.

The large fan bases of both the Dodgers and the Padres in Korea have prompted KIPO to ramp up on-site inspections for possible sales of counterfeit MLB goods in and around the venue.

Enforcement will mainly be carried out areas with the most foot traffic, such as nearby subway stations and stadium entrances, with the Seoul government estimating that some 100,000 baseball fans will converge.

“We will notify local and global audiences about the importance of intellectual property [IP] rights this season,” KIPO said in a statement. “We aim to promote Korea’s efforts and determination to protect IP copyrights.”

The police indicted seven wholesalers without detention on allegation of selling fake goods in the Dongdaemun and Namdaemun areas last month.

It has also deleted 366 related online posts and accounts through cooperation with online platforms as of Thursday, KIPO said.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]