CSI Switzerland? Experts scour watch fair for fakes

BASEL, Switzerland (Reuters Life!) - If Switzerland had a spin-off of popular television series Crime Scene Investigation, Paul Ruest would be its unlikely star.

The unassuming Swiss attorney heads an expert committee tasked with identifying faked or copied items at Baselworld, the watch industry's largest annual trade fair, where some 2,100 exhibitors are showcasing the latest in luxury goods this week.

Like on the CBS television show, Ruest's seven-member panel -- known officially as The Panel -- combines legal and technical wit to look into possible violations of copyright, trademark, patent and competition rules, as well as indications of origin, such as misuse of the "Swiss Made" label.

Ruest, who has been on The Panel since its launch in 1985, estimates that between 30 and 40 complaints are lodged every year during the eight-day public exhibition, where billions of dollars worth of jewelry and watches are put on display and lucrative sales contracts are forged.

The committee made of lawyers, watchmakers and jewelry specialists does not patrol Baselworld's six huge exhibition halls but investigates each case brought to its attention by fair participants, interviewing vendors, reviewing documents and examining the item itself.

In some instances a watch must be opened up and its components studied under a microscope.

"Sometimes we have cases where it is really clear. Often it is very difficult," Ruest said in an interview in The Panel's offices overlooking Basel's Messeplatz, where hundreds of well-heeled vendors and visitors milled below.

As many as 90,000 industry experts are expected to attend this year's show, which officially opened on Thursday on a pointedly festive note. The luxury sector is enjoying a sales boom driven by economic growth in China, Russia and the Middle East, where many newly rich are hungry for status symbols.

While it is rare for Baselworld vendors to hawk outright fakes, such as cheap watches sporting a Rolex label, many high-end vendors dispatch teams of intellectual property lawyers to survey others' wares and spot items that appear overly similar to copyrighted or trademarked goods.

"What we have is more often a watch that is close to Rolex, too close in design," Ruest said. This can also apply to the inner workings of the watch, and patented techniques in a time piece's construction.

About 80 percent of complaints brought to The Panel's attention each year are found to be actual violations, Ruest said. Vendors are then asked to withdraw from the fair, and complainants can pursue legal recourse through the courts system if they choose.

No new cases were flagged for investigation during the first morning of Baselworld 2007, but Ruest and his team stood ready to respond. "We are here, we are waiting," he said.