MANILA, Philippines -- A couple found to have been selling counterfeit branded bags in San Nicolas and Binondo, Manila, have been charged with trademark infringement at the Manila Regional Trial Court by the exclusive local distributor of international luxury clothing and accessories brand Marithe Francois Girbaud (MFG).

Hung Rong Bao and Rei Mei Dan alias Kam Kam Ang, were charged on Monday with with five counts of Violation of Sec. 155.1 in relation to Sec. 170 of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, for selling counterfeit MFG products.

The Department of Justice filed the charges on the complaints of JVS Asia Inc., local sub-licensee of Sea-Flower Licensing Amsterdam B.V., the exclusive licensee of MFG trademark owner Wurzburg Holdings S.A., whose exclusive use of the MTG trademark in the Philippines was registered under the Intellectual Property Office.

In January 2004, a market researcher hired by the complainants, along with the National Bureau of Investigation, posed as buyers in five of the couple?s stalls and warehouses located in the SHC Building and the New Divisoria Mall in San Nicolas, and at the Juan Plaza Shopping Mall in Binondo.

Court-sanctioned searches conducted on the stalls in February 2004 yielded more than 6,000 counterfeit MFG bags, a resolution from the Department of Justice Task Force on Anti-Intellectual Property Piracy showed.

Both of the accused remain at large.