Unprecedented verdict for Asian nationals counterfeiting Hungarian Fradi products
A landmark ruling has shaken a case involving a Vietnamese group who turned the basement of a family home into a full-scale counterfeiting operation, producing and selling fake Ferencváros (Fradi) merchandise such as scarves and jerseys.
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According to a Blikk report, Ferencváros deploys a dedicated task force to monitor online marketplaces, identifying sellers offering club-branded merchandise and checking whether they are authorised partners. When an unauthorised seller is identified, they first receive a formal warning. If this is ignored and trading continues, a misdemeanour report is filed. In cases involving high-value goods, the club bypasses warnings altogether and initiates criminal proceedings.
The National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) also cooperates closely with Fradi during raids, apprehending numerous offenders. Many are caught selling counterfeit goods just before matches outside the Groupama Aréna — a quick way to make money, but one that carries a very high risk of arrest.
Even so, Blikk reports that Fradi often takes a lenient approach. Street vendors can frequently settle the matter by paying compensation and then walk away. The question, however, remains how much that compensation amounts to — and whether avoiding it is worth the risk.
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Unprecedented sentence
This option disappears when the value of the damages becomes substantial. That was the case for the Vietnamese group, which operated an industrial-scale counterfeit workshop in a suburban basement, producing jerseys and supporters’ scarves using their own printing equipment. Police intervened after the group had sold nearly 300 batches of fake products.
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Blikk reports that the raid led to the arrest of the ringleader, while his accomplices fled. The real surprise came in court: the offender received an actual custodial sentence — a rarity in such cases — a development likely to reassure legitimate businesses in the sector. The Southeast Asian organiser faces a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, which will be enforced if he commits any further offence during that period.
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