Silk Street Market was handing out 20-yuan ($2.9) discount coupons to foreign customers Sunday ahead of World Intellectual Property Day, encouraging them to buy special Chinese and authentic brand products.

Some 5,000 vouchers were handed to foreigners, according to Hu Wenli, deputy general manager of the Beijing Silk Street Company.

"Many foreign customers are still keen on buying fake brands despite the sales ban on 48 brands including LV, Prada, Givenchy and Fendi stipulated by authorities in 2004 and 2005," Hu said.

"We acknowledge the problem, but it needs a period of time before we can completely tackle it."

A slogan on the voucher reads: "Use your voucher and show your support for our common mission to protect intellectual property rights!"

The voucher can be used for discounts on products like silk, made-to-order clothing, pearl jewelry, ceramics, tea and Chinese "time-honored" brands.

"The voucher is not for shops like ours," said a Silk Street Market vendor selling knock-off clothes.

A woman selling silk said several foreign customers had used the coupons that day.
"I didn’t know it’s World Intellectual Property Day Monday," she said.

Since Silk Street lost a lawsuit to five international brands in 2006, the management has been trying to promote Chinese brands like Shengxifu, Ruifuxiang and Quanjude as well as "Silk Street"-brand silk, ties and rugs.

"It might be affected if the fake brands are totally prohibited, but we still have many other attractive items like the tailored clothing for example," Hu said.

They have also been encouraging more merchants with self-created brands or distinctive original ideas to move in at discount rent.

A German customer said it was his second time shopping at Silk Street where he liked to buy fake clothes.

"They're cheap," he said. "Although the quality can't be compared with the genuine ones, who cares? It's OK with me."

He said that he supported the discount coupon campaign, but doubted that eliminating all the fake brands would be possible.

"The market would definitely be less attractive if no cheap counterfeit brands could be bought here anymore," he said.

"I don’t think I would come here again in that case."