G.O.D. forbid!

G.O.D. should design some products with logos like "P.T.U.", "C.I.D." or "O-Kee" to help promoting Hong Kong Police Force as a remedy. Haha!

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"G.O.D. forbid!

Carol Chung

Friday, November 02, 2007

A bid to turn a Hong Kong-made and designed T-shirt into a fashion icon for local youths has run foul of the law with the arrest of 18 people from a local chain store yesterday.

Police said the design on the T-shirts marketed by Goods of Desire - or G.O.D. as the store is popularly known - was linked to a triad society and that those who purchased them could also be arrested.

Possessing triad products is a violation of the law and people wearing a shirt with such logos will be arrested, Organized Crime Triad Bureau Acting Superintendent Cheng Fuk-chuen warned.

Police confiscated 88 T-shirts and more than 500 postcards printed with a "14K" logo, "? x K"- with the numbers written in Chinese characters - from the store's five offices and warehouse located in Central, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui and Yuen Long. They arrested nine men and nine women, including salespersons and designers, aged between 21 and 51.

It is believed one of those arrested is the store's founder, Douglas Young Chi-chiu, who is a grandson of Kowloon Motor Bus founder William Louey Sui-tak.

They are suspected of contravening the Societies Ordinance, which refers to slogans, published materials and objects with symbolic meanings, and which police specialists have confirmed to be related to the triads. The police raid followed a recent media report on products the store was selling.

Cheng said the industry should be careful when designing products not to contravene the law.

"Creativity is creativity - that's different. The industry should study the legislation, which clearly states symbols representing or constituting triad symbols are illegal," Cheng said.

G.O.D.s marketing manager Cherry Ma Kit-ying insisted the logo was one of the store's usual designs and involved "a play on words."

Other examples include "Delay No More" - which sounds vulgar in Cantonese - printed on products, and home accessories with the store's name G.O.D. which sounds like the Cantonese words for "better living." The logo design was only intended to refer to gold rather than the triads, Ma said.

"Some may relate it to the triads ... we didn't have any intention to promote things [related to the triad]."

Ma stressed the store's innocent intention, saying "14K gold was marked on the back of the postcards."

Lawmaker James To Kun-sun, deputy chairman of the Legislative Council's security panel, said whether the controversial logo violates the law depends on how it is displayed and publicized, and whether it conveys any triad-related message.

People who have bought the products but are innocent about the meaning may not be charged. But if they act in a provocative way when wearing the T-shirt, they could be mistaken for a triad member, To said.

G.O.D. is recalling the T-shirts and postcards, which went on sale in mid- September.

So far, more than 10 T-shirts, costing HK$280 each, have been sold.

Police said those who have bought the products should call 2527-7887. "
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Source: The Standard