Arrest Made in Revision Eyewear Counterfeit Case

Anyone who has ever taken a stroll through a tourist area, flea market, or perused eBay has no doubt seen countless counterfeit items. About any product that demands a premium price point has a Chinese facsimile available to less discerning purchasers. And while it's all illegal, it seems far less worse to pass off a fake Louis Vuitton purse as authentic when compared to selling fake personal protective equipment (PPE) or gear that people depend on for their lives.

A rather less than scrupulous company has apparently been producing and selling counterfeit Revision Military eyewear. You know, the stuff that protects your eyes from metal bits getting into them.? No, this isn't the first time something like this has been counterfeited (fake tourniquets, for example–not that stopping bleeding is important or anything) and it won't be the last. However, we can happily report that at least in this case that earlier this week someone was actually arrested for it.

Here's what they have to say about the events of the Revision Eyewear Counterfeit Case.

Denver, Colorado– Revision Military…aided a sting operation to arrest owners and representatives of a Chinese company illegally manufacturing and selling counterfeit eyewear. Revision worked in conjunction with the Dearborn and Ohio County Prosecutor’s Office in Indiana to execute this action. The operation was carried out on January 28th at the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Snow Show in Denver, Colorado. Guangzhou Botai Optical Visor Co., Ltd. (“Guangzhou Botai”) U.S. representative and part owner, Gong Peiwen, also known as Daniel Gong, was arrested on the showroom floor. Arrest warrants have also been issued for brothers Jiang Xingde and Jiang Xinglin, co-owners of Guangzhou Botai, and Ding Xiaoxia, also known as Crystal Ding, Sales Associate for Guangzhou Botai, which is based in Guangzhou, China. 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. These charges are being brought in Indiana.

Guangzhou Botai has been producing unauthorized counterfeit versions of Revision Military’s Desert Locust™ goggle. Additionally, these fake products have been distributed under the pretense 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. After extensive investigation of the company and testing of the counterfeit products it produces, conclusions showed none of the established industry standards for optical or ballistic quality were met by these unauthorized product knockoffs.

“We were alarmed to learn of these counterfeit products,” said Jonathan Blanshay, CEO of Revision Military, “our customers expect only the best quality performance from our products. We take pride in exceeding the highest specifications for optics and ballistic impact protection and have invested huge amounts of money to create the best possible protective products. We have built our name and reputation on exceeding standards and will not tolerate inferior, non-authorized knockoff products in the marketplace.”

If you needed anymore reason to only purchase from authorized dealers, especially when it comes to protective gear–there you have it. And before you ask, those really cheap SAPI plates you bought on eBay probably aren't legit either.

Hopefully this won't be the last asshole we see get hooked up for such activities.