Suspected counterfeiter arrested at SIA Snow Show

A Chinese man has been arrested at a trade exhibition on suspicion of manufacturing and selling fake ballistic eyewear.

The arrest at the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Snow Show in Denver was of Gong Peiwen (also known as Daniel Gong ), part owner of Guangzhou Botai Optical Visor which is accused of producing fake versions of a ballistic google product manufactured by Vermont company Revision Military.

The company assisted in the operation, which saw Gong taken into custody on the showroom floor and arrest warrants issued for brothers Jiang Xingde and Jiang Xinglin - also co-owners of Guangzhou Botai - and Ding Xiaoxia, also known as Crystal Ding.

The four are facing six felony charges: counterfeiting, theft, corrupt business practices, conspiracy to commit counterfeiting, conspiracy to commit theft, and conspiracy to commit corrupt business practices.

"Guangzhou Botai has been producing unauthorized counterfeit versions of Revision Military’s Desert Locust goggle," said Revision Military in a statement.

"These fake products have been distributed under the pretence of providing military-grade ballistic protection which presents a hazard to the safety of users expecting the high level eye protection of authentic Revision products," it added.

The company maintains that none of the established industry standards for optical or ballistic quality were met by the knockoff products.

"We have built our name and reputation on exceeding standards and will not tolerate inferior, non-authorised knockoff products in the marketplace," commented Jonathan Blanshay, Revision Military's chief executive.

This is the second time in a month that representatives of a Chinese manufacturer accused of counterfeiting have come under fire at a trade show. Changzhou First International Trade Co was ejected from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on suspicion of infringing the intellectual property of Future Motion, a company which makes a one-wheeled electric skateboard.