Protecting Intellectual Property Rights

Our mission is simple: to protect intellectual property rights with direct action.

TRAP (Trademark and Rightsholders Against Piracy) is a worldwide collective of rights holders and publishers working with the biggest names in music, film, TV, art and sport.
Through lobbying and direct action, TRAP protects the public from purchasing counterfeit products whilst enabling artists, actors, athletes and musicians to provide their fans with official merchandise.

Taking Direct Action

Latest News

Trademark & Rights Owners Against Piracy (TRAP)’s agents, Surelock, were instrumental in an important action against the sale of counterfeit product in Camden last month. After an extensive covert reconnaissance of Camden Town that had been carried out by Surelock in March, a major counterfeit problem in the area was identified & local trading standards were…

Continue Reading

On Wednesday 2 March 2016 Surelock working on behalf of TRAP travelled to Ireland where working alongside The Garda made various seizures in an around the Dublin area. The largest seizure of the day was one of One Direction merchandise in the home town on Nial Horan (of One Direction) where the following was seized…

Continue Reading

After pleading guilty to fraudulently selling an estimated £250k worth of counterfeit goods, Johanna Donnelly of Norwich has been given 3 months to repay £140k. If the money remains unpaid, she will serve 5 months in prison in addition to the 150 hours of community service and an enforced 10 days of rehab she was…

Continue Reading

Working together with City of Westminster Trading Standards, TRAP’s Brand Protection Team, Surelock , raided an iconic store in the heart of Central London selling many fake music artists T-shirts. Among the artists that had their Intellectual Property used without their consent were The Who, The Beatles, The The Smiths, Motorhead, Madness, Blur, Stone Roses,…

Continue Reading

After almost a decade, a serial copyright infringer has finally been fined at Liverpool Crown Court. Stephen Carroll, the sole proprietor of T-Shirt Subway was fined £11,000 after the jury was told that on several occasions he was contacted by Trading Standards and warned that his activities were illegal; warnings that were later ignored. Had…

Continue Reading

LARGEST COUNTERFEITING CASE EVER UNDERTAKEN BY WEST YORKSHIRE TRADING STANDARDS TRAP partners Surelock were heavily involved in bringing Five members of an extended family, Amar, Yasir, Qaisar and Faisal Choudry of Bradford and their brother-in-law Mudasar Alishan to Court. The family were ordered to pay £1.5M or face jail sentences. The case was brought by…

Continue Reading
News