More than 13,000 pairs of fake Nike sports shoes with a street value of 5.5 million yuan (US$679,000) have been seized from a warehouse in Baiyun District.

Two months' work by the economic investigation team of the Guangdong Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce led to the discovery of the shoes' hide-out in a residential area.

Early in June, the administration received complaints from Nike's trademark agency in China about a large number of fake sports shoes in Guangzhou, according to Hu Yanni, an official with the administration.

Those operating the factory fled and the case will probably be transferred to the police for further investigation.

Hu said: " The provincial administration for industry and commerce has been keeping a close eye on trademark infringement cases."

Earlier this month, the local authorities confiscated some 1,700 boxes of "Shiseido" cosmetics valued at 40 million yuan (US$4.9 million) in a raid on an unlicensed factory in the city.

The factory supplied almost the full range of "Shiseido" products -- in counterfeit.

"The provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce confiscated 2.69 million pieces related to trademark infringement in the first half of this year," said Hu.

"The administration seized another batch of more than 6,000 pairs of fake Nike sports shoes in Guangzhou a year ago, with their value reaching 3 million yuan (US$369,900).

"And the administration also seized global sports brand names including 'Adidas' sportswear."

(China Daily July 27, 2005)