GERMAN customs seized 74 kettles suspected of carrying counterfeit STRIX controls at the recent Home Tech fair in Cologne.

Other copycat kettles were stopped by Customs on the way to the show, while some exhibitors avoided action altogether by displaying kettles without any controls at all.

Our picture shows a preliminary injunction being served on Ningbo Sunlight at the German fair.

The Home Tech seizures were made as STRIX learned that more than 200,000 kettles suspected of carrying pirated copies of its controls and worth around €2 million at retail had been stopped at European ports.

The company has 20 days to take action before the goods are released - STRIX believes that more than 90% of them are guilty of rights infringements.

At Home Tech, STRIX published a newsletter which warned importers: "If your brand is so weak that you need to consider purchasing copies or imitations of the STRIX system, then be prepared to endure high levels of customer dissatisfaction throughout the supply chain, as well as the relentless problem of legal and safety actions."